Several idioms of a film review.

I had thought of post this message in the board of Book and film reviews, but I thought it over and realized that this board is more appropriate, as what I am asking about is several idioms appearing in film reviews.

One of my cousins asks me to translate some film reviews on The Shawshank Redemption for her. I go down the materials and find that some idioms are really beyond me. Would anyone please explain the underlined part of the following four sentences to me?

1 The Shawshank Redemption defines a genre, defies the odds, compels the emotions, and brings an era of artistically influential films back to Hollywood.

2 Andy proves to Red and the other inmates that in the conventional walls of Shawshank prison convention will find no home in his lifestyle.

3 Though full of hardened criminals, your heart will go out to these men as they display the most basic of human emotions, and deliver some of the most quotable lines in a film to date.

4 This comment may contain spoilers.

Maybe it is difficult to guess the meaning of them without the situation of context. Does "defy the odds" here mean to succeed in spite of all kinds of possibilities? I guess I know the meaning of "find no home" here, but I don't know how to explain it accurately. Does sentence three mean that the audience will pity and share the feeling of those criminals? If there is a spoiler in a comment, there is something not good about the thing, isn't it?

1. Yes, I think it means that people would not expect a movie like this to be successful, but it is.

2. Convention will not be an important part of his lifestyle.

3. Your interpretation is exactly right.

4.  "Spoilers" in the context of a film review means that the comment will "spoil" the ending for someone that has not already seen the movie -- the comment will reveal a  key part of the plot and therefore eliminate the suspense the movie tries to create.  It is a warning that if you haven't seen the movie yet, and you don't want to know how it ends, you should not read further.  This is a fairly new idiom.

I hope this helps.  It seems that you have an excellent understanding already.

Hi Khoff,

I see from Google that your meaning is very common., and certainly correct in the context of a review. Thanks. 

I think perhaps this term has a number of meanings in other contexts. For example, another is this, from a comment on a bygone Presidential election:

In response to the assertion that he is a spoiler, Nader places the blame squarely on the shoulders of Democrats.

The idea, of course, was that Nader was a distraction who syphoned off Democratic votes.

Best wishes, Clive

Hi,

No, I tried to say that I'm sure Khoff is right. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear enough. She's right.

Best wishes again, Clive

5 The cinematography by Roger Deakins is excellent. The editing superb: there's not a single dead spot in the whole movie.

If there is a dead spot in a movie, there is a certain view that is illogical. Is that right?

6 There is Brooks (James Whitmore) who gets out after fifty years but is so institutionalized that he can't cope with life on the outside and hangs himself. Playing off of this is Red's periodic appearance before the parole board where his parole is summarily REJECTED. Watch how this plays out at the end.

Does "playing off" here mean the same as "in contrast (to)"?

7 Frank Darabont did an amazing job adapting from Stephen King's short story, and he deserves as much praise for it as possible. Nobody, not even my favourite writers such as the Coen brothers of Quentin Tarantino (partly for the fact that the first only writes comedies and the latter only fares in blood spatter) could have achieved this amazing script, which completely uplifts and spellbinds the viewer.

Is there a typo here? I guess it might be the Coen brothers and Quentin Tarantino. I am not sure, for I haven't seen many movies.

Well, these are the questions I met when I was translating the rest part of the film reviews. Your kind help is appreciated.