Spoiler Cupboard - sighs, screams, standing ovation

[adina]

Oh, we need a Spoiler Cupboard! It should be put in the darkest corner of the Rooftop. After watching a Rufus movie, we could tiptoe here, and whisper all the "awww"s and "ouch"es into it. I mean, most of his characters have...umm...a shadowy past, a fangirl-scream-provoking present, and no future at all. Sometimes we can't really express our enthusiasm about Rufus's acting (or his beauty) without speaking the plot. Since nobody wants to reveal anything which could ruin the fun of the others, the reviews are soooo polite and soooooooooooo short. All Things to All Men or Hotel Noir gave Rufus an absolute lead role and we are not free to write over-the-top comments after seeing something the first time. It's not fair. I'll Follow You Down is also in the hush hush genre.
So I think it would be useful to start a thread for the "I can't believe it!" and "Run, Rufus!" and ", that was COOL and...nasty!" exclamations.
A post can start with a coloured title, so those who haven't seen that movie could skip it.
If you like my idea, then come here to sigh. It will remain a secret.

[adina]

Jonathan Parker -- All Things to All Men

I am in love. I watched the movie and it took my breath away.
Parker is so GORGEOUS and Rufus is so GOOD!
The story looks like an Aesop's Fable - Dixon learned his lesson, didn't he? - but it seems I learned a different lesson: If Parker goes close to someone, I'll scream.
Oh, yes, the opening credit is perfect. The witch with the long legs and the short dress is beautiful and Parker is gorgeous (as I said before), so AWWW...
But then he went to work, and I had to realize that wearing a coat doesn't mean I am allowed to breathe. , I know Rufus has got green eyes, but come on, such eyes!!!!! His face is thin, so his eyes are even more prominent, or the makeup lady loves nice eyes, or it was to make the movie a sure thriller, I don't know, but I was in a constant aww.
Then there was an absolutely unexpected turn - Parker got a call at home and he walked to the balcony and I almost died (yes, I really was taking a different lesson than Dixon was ). You think the camera was showing a panorama view of the roofs of London - ah ha, no, it was showing a slow panorama view of GORGEOUS Rufus in blue T-shirt in the sunshine, a breeze is playing with his hair. I could watch his back, it was yummy and unprotected --- I didn't know then that angle was a symbol of Sands's absence. ()
Well, and now the reason why I can't post my review in the official thread. The big scene of Parker and Sands is COOL! I am a nice person, but I find that scene FANTASTIC! I don't know what Sands hoped from that meeting(?)(well, it fitted into the style of the movie - the experienced, old fox characters get an oops-style end. My favourite is Cutter's death. Julian Sands was top serious and his shoot-mistake was top silly.) But back to the important study, so, Rufus was wonderful in that scene, his "shhh" is unforgettable.
And it was followed by the only one rainy scene, the sky had to weep to express the loss. Hah!
There were a lot of 'boom boom's, actually. When Dixon hopped out of the boot and that crazy fight started, I thought they would shoot down the cameraman (or me!) Ah! But what I found the most upsetting - they used cute, little weapons throughout the movie and then in the finale Dixon appeared with that elephant gun!!! And Parker stepped even closer to him, oh nooooooo, he will have to be scraped together with a spoon after a shot!
Aww, the way Parker tried to talk himself out of the situation was AMAZING! That's why I am loyal to Rufus, dear Attorney General and Police Comissioner. Because I MUST. Because I have no choice. Because I am in love with the way Rufus played Jonathan Parker.

P.S. Extra lessons
- "Detective" is a swear word. Or at least the best word to practise sarcasm.
- Rufus doesn't always blow a kiss when he receives a bunch of flowers. But he is always surprised.
- Parker steps very close to the woman to threaten her "Do you understand?!" Then "It's my number. Call me." - If I also got frightened, why I didn't get the phone number? It's not fair.
- Although seeing the scene with the passport forger, I am not sure Parker lets anyone complain about fair play. So it would be wise to bite my tongue right now.

[kygal]

Thanks Adina. You know I like spoilers and will be here often!!!

[Petruchio - Good God]

totally INDEED with you adina.... loving spoilers too !!!! Fantastic IDEA

[barbicanbelle]

I agree - great idea!!

[kissmekate]

Love that idea, too!

[midoro]

The same with me! Thanks, Adina!

[nell]

Adina what a great review! You made me want to watch the movie again. NOW!!!!

Sadly I didn't take much in when I saw the movie. I imagined I'd see it again pretty soon after, but alas.... I'll be sure to add my no holds barred review when I finally do get to see it again . 

[rueful]

Oh, Adina! You are both brilliant and cruel! A spoiler thread is an excellent idea! I want so desperately to see All Things to All Men, I'm very impatient, but I have skimmed past your post....this time. I will probably be back in 15 minutes.

My only concern is the location of the thread. Will people remember to look here, especially if it has been pushed under some complaints about proboards stupidity? Maybe it should go in the Works section.

[kissmekate]

I'll second rueful's suggestion to move the thread to the Works section, just to make sure it won't get "lost".

[GreenEyesToo]

Nov 12, 2013 14:22:16 GMT rueful said:

My only concern is the location of the thread. <.....> Maybe it should go in the Works section.

Your wish is my command!

(Well....sometimes... )


Great idea, Adina!

[rueful]

Thanks very much, GE2!

Nov 14, 2013 1:18:39 GMT GreenEyesToo said:

Your wish is my command!

Let's see, let's see...so much to ask for. I'll have to get back to you.


Thanks again for starting the thread Adina. I've read your post with one eye closed, and seen enough that I am looking forward to seeing another amazing performance from Rufus!

[adina]

I am glad so many of you like my idea , but I would like to add a footnote to my starting post.
I didn't intend to create a place to tell spoilers. Easter Bunny exists. Or not.
Rufus is a good actor, his characters are not a doll in different clothes. If you took off Petruchio's fur coat, you wouldn't receive a sad Albert Stockwell in a gray sweater, and if you took off the sweater and splashed a bucket of water on him, you wouldn't receive an upset Paul Bellmer. (You'd receive a kick from Rufus for this experiment, though, I guess. ) That's why you shouldn't feel sorry for skimming past any post here. If this thread becomes the laid-back conversation I hope for, then it will be nonsense babbling for those who haven't seen that certain movie yet. But that is also the reason why the discussion could go on a different level. So come here AFTER you have seen a movie and met a new character, and enjoy the party here. The others will understand you (and comfort you if you need.)
Now the thread is advertised in red capital letters on the main page, so anyone can find it. But I would like to emphasize: there are many articles and interviews with Rufus, and many reviews from critics and fans on the Rooftop, enjoy them, but read the impressions and opinions and theories here when you REALLY know what's going on, because THEN you won't feel you are left out of something.

And to make my note more effective, I'll use a picture from All Things to All Men as a dramatic symbol.
I guess this is the scene which was filmed a year later. Rufus was asked to go back to shoot a bonus scene...



...to let the audience have some inside information.
See?! Inside information A YEAR LATER! So don't come into this thread for some inside information!!! Let Rufus deliver it to you. Next year. <evil laugh>


And now let's see the next post!

[nell]

How I saw ATTAM / TDG (I'd advise to watch the film at least once before reading)

I picked up from the start that Jonathan Parker wasn't exactly a saint That snide comment when the telephone rang in bed set the story straight. But I loved the way Rufus played Parker. Slightly less angelic than Aurelio Zen but basically sharing the same aim of trying to not get himself killed. But there the comparison ends.
When Sands met his demise we were momentarily as confused as Sands was. Very cleverly done. The ultimate betrayal itself was cleverly dealt with too. So many gangster movies would have had Parker cocking his pistol and swaggering out all gung ho. Instead he held Sands in his arms and soothed him. The tear in the eye and the devastated look Parker wore when he had to do the only thing he could to keep himself alive pulled at the heart strings. The words caught in his throat when he spun a tale about Sands and Dixon. The emotion was real and he cleverly used it to serve his own ends.
It was so fast pace it was easy to miss the little details on just 1 watching. A fair amount is left for you to work out, but eventually it all falls into place. It's not just the audience in the dark either. It emerges that Riley takes on "the job" because the buyer he has for the diamonds he stole gets killed (as it turns out by Joseph Corso). Parker uses Corso to get Riley to steal some bonds (by holding Corso's son on a drugs charge). It also turns out that Corso and Rileys late brother have history and Corso is suspected of killing Riley's brother (at least by his brothers late wife). The late wife is understandably upset at losing her husband due to a deal he was doing with Riley. Parker is keeping quite a few balls in the air at the same time. There's the bag man, that is just glimpsed going into the hotel. So Parker decided he'd go after the bag man alone. The reason soon becomes clear when the bag man hops into the car beside him. It's a world of who's cheating who and information being bought. Parker is balancing Corso, the Police Commissioner, his informants and his personal problems. Poor Parker (yeah I know he's a crooked cop) but he just made an unwise choice in his love life and all hell broke loose . I think I should write my own ending where the £5 million gets raised Parker legs it to sunny climes with a more suitable lady and they end their days sipping Mojito's on the beach (I have someone in mind....) . Apart from that my only critisism would be that some of the quick glimpses could have held the camera for a few more seconds, like the aforementioned bag man and the deceased diamond dealer, to allow the information to be absorbed. There are a couple of other bits they could have lingered over too.........

[midoro]

Thanks Nell for your review! I agree with Parker reminding of Zen, I think it´s the filming technique and the cool way Rufus played the two characters. Glad you also liked the scene where Parker killed Sands - it was very touching.
As for a happy ending, please write one!

Although it´s written in red, I totally forgot about the Spoiler thread and wrote my review into the ATTAM thread, so GE2 feel free to remove it!