I love this Feudal Effort strip! (Click on the image for a larger version.) It describes exactly the attitude I have when watching quasi-historical movies. Not to mention movies based on books. ("Would it have hurt them to actually read the book?")
I do cut Shakespeare some slack, however. He didn't have the same access to sources as we do, and anyway, he certainly didn't have time to spare. It just might have killed him to do basic fact-checking.
Speaking of historical interest, Duncan I was my 28th great-grandfather. :)