Prince Avalanche (2013)

I saw this one at the Berlinale 2013 film festival, where it was part of the official Competition. The synopsis left me speculating what interesting things could happen in the given circumstances. Two men all alone in a deserted environment, meeting virtually no one while underway, and having a boring tedious task before them. Would one eventually kill or otherwise harm the other one?? Any attempt to have sex together, perhaps?? Or are they bordering on getting mad and about to make a mess of their job?? The situation could scatter in any direction, so it seemed. Anyway, the direction the story actually took was surprising. It is difficult but also unnecessary to condense the story here. Let me only say that the Dear John letter carried by the younger one (Lance) and addressed to the older one (Alvin), is an essential element in the proceedings.

They encounter some people, but these are only icing on the cake, no more no less. The lorry driver with the home made booze is picturesque in his behavior and his looks, offers some distraction from the story line, but is not essential. The woman in the burnt down cottage, desperately looking for her license as a pilot, left a minor open end when we see her later on with aforementioned lorry driver, though the latter denies having seen any woman around. But this is a trivial detail, not hampering my viewing experience.

All in all, I must say that this movie surprised me much more than I could have imagined after reading the synopsis on the festival website. It can be of no surprise that the Berlinale 2013 International Jury awarded a Silver Bear for best director, deservedly since he made a compelling movie out of barely nothing. The two main characters perform very well, and the desolate décor is perfectly integrated in the end product as presented to us.

Fmovies: For those willing to try something different, you may find some value in this independent film. I thought the movie offered some quirky dialogue, characters, and situations, in its own quiet way.

Set in 1988, in the wooded areas of central Texas, near Garland, and not long after the devastating forest fires of the previous year in that section of the state. It's pretty much a two character film with Paul Rudd, making a change from the over-the-top lewd and crude of the Apatow-like movies, playing Alvin, who has left a serious relationship with a woman named Madison to "find himself" in the solitude of his new job in the forest. They still communicate by letter and he sends her money, as well as studying German language tapes so they can eventually re-unite and travel to Germany.

Alvin is the head of a two person stripe-crew (painting yellow lines along the roads of Texas) and has recently hired Madison's brother Lance as his assistant. Lance is portrayed by the talented actor Emile Hirsch, and is quite different personality wise from Alvin. He doesn't take the job very seriously, doesn't even like the outdoors, and is always horny.

I thought both Rudd and Hirsch performed quite well in their roles. Not everything works here, and sometimes the dialogue between the two seems flat and awkward. However, there's also lots that does work here and the rapport between them, even when they're bickering and arguing can be quite enjoyable. The late actor Lance Legault also adds some good comic relief in his role of a grizzled truck driver traveling the roads that Alvin and Lance are working.

One thing I particularly liked in the movie was the atmospherics and solitude allowed by the versatile director and writer David Gordon Green (Snow Angels, Pineapple Express) to just leisurely unravel at its own pace. It's unusual in today's film. It's not for everyone, but for those with the patience there can be definite rewards here.

A story about two men working on motorway maintenance. That's it. From the opening to closing scene we are presented with a series of interchanges of these two guys working the asphalt. One might rush to assume that it probably is a dull experience but in truth it was far from it.

There was something about the realism and humanity of the interaction that would maintain the audience's attention and engagement. Slowly, we became part of the ordinary lives of these two men and our interest in their dealings with one another only increased and thus making this a largely unnoticed gem.

Prince Avalanche fmovies. I was going to rate this movie only one star, but added one for the irony of a story about two guys painting traffic lines that is as interesting as watching paint dry. Well played.

Prince Avalanche makes no attempt to make any statement about relationships, friendship, work-life, or life in general. Moreover, it makes no attempt at interesting dialogue or action. Simply put, there is no discernible reason to watch this movie except to watch two dudes talk about nothing in particular.

IMDb requires that I write 10 lines of text, but doing so is more than this movie warrants. I will therefore simply add that this might be a satire of an independent movie.

If Emile Hirsch and Paul Rudd get stuck in the woods, does it make for a good movie?

This is the question Prince Avalanche asks of us, and the answer is a resounding yes. The film is a low-budget bromance that focuses on the relationship of two road workers revamping Texas roads after a forest fire wipes them out.

Spending weeks at a time isolated from society, our two protagonists get to know each other very well, and talk about everything and anything together – but mostly women. Alvin, (Paul Rudd) is dating Lance's (Emile Hirsch) older sister Madison, while Lance is constantly looking forward to the day when he can leave the forest and head back into the city where all the girls are.

The pair of actors are wonderful together, and it's their comical and engaging interactions that provide the framework for this movie. Director David Gordon Greene (The Sitter, Pineapple Express) is no stranger to comedy, and there are some brilliantly funny moments in Prince Avalanche, but the humor never takes full focus. There are long, meditative shots of nature mixed in with some great dramatic events that make this film a more reflective piece than a funny one.

Unfortunately, there is a bit of empty space, and some scenes drag on longer than they should. There is also this sub-plot involving an older alcoholic character that never really goes anywhere. Despite it's flaws, the highs and lows in Alvin and Lance's relationship make for a charming and inspirational story. Prince Avalanche is whole-heartedly an entertaining film that finds that rare sweet spot between the heart and funny bone.

All of David Gordon Green's pre-Pineapple Express works (which are likely his best works) are unseen by me. If you've been a lifelong fan of Green, I can see these last few years being sort of bewildering for you. Green, who began as a very independent director, began doing mainstream work with the surprising hit The Pineapple Express before doing two ridiculous and forgettable stoner comedies that ultimately don't deserve a mention in this review.

It would seem clear that Green reevaluated his mainstream direction and questioned, "why waste potential in a sector that the masses aren't fond of me in?" He returns to the independent circuit with Prince Avalanche, a quiet gem of a picture that captures the small, beautiful essences of life in a greatly enduring way that doesn't come off as overly-arty or alienating. It concerns two roadside workers, who spend their days repainting divided yellow lines on a windy, never-ending road in Texas, as well as mulching gardens and hammering in reflective poles at certain locations. All of these things have been destroyed by an enormous wildfire that claimed 1,600 hundred homes in Texas in 2011.

The two men are the stern and peace-minded Alvin (Paul Rudd) and the often coy and dopey Lance (Emile Hirsch). Alvin is dating an unseen woman named Melanie, who is also Lance's sister. Alvin chose this job to try and get closer to a less-demanding environment and to offer peace-of-mind to not just himself but this his girlfriend, who stays at home with their son. Lance is out there with no particular motivation in mind, and seems to just want to get back to skirt-chasing in the big city. During this quiet time, the men talk, sometimes about trivial things, other times about occurrences in their life, and learn companionship through simple laughs and bitter words. It's the ultimate coming-of-age film.

I bill Prince Avalanche as a coming-of-age film because a character doesn't necessarily have to be young to come-of-age. Maturity and mental establishment living up to your age can take many, many years to develop or, sometimes, just doesn't, and the person occupies a deluded state of mind for his entire life. Alvin and Lance aren't so much deluded as they are troubled in their own ways and somewhat expecting. Alvin expects a more functional, linear relationship, while Lance expects to be able to glide through life, sleeping with any woman who says "yes." Even if you reduce these characters down to basic adjectives, such as dictative and bossy for Alvin and wayward and childish for Lance, you still have immensely interesting characters that deserve to be examined.

Prince Avalanche doesn't play out like a typical genre film where two mismatched men must learn to deal with each other. It's far too mature for that cinematic stereotype. The film is about dealing with limitations, whether they're geographical or personal, and appreciating the present and the slowness of the present; it doesn't emphasize on the fact that both Alvin and Lance are polar opposites. Even as they argue and bicker back-and-forth, we still get the sense they enjoy being in the company of others and would actually hate to be doing this job alone.

The only other character in the film is an old truck driver, played by Lance LeGault, who comes along at infrequent times, giving the boys soda, alcohol, and cigars, commending them for their work and dedication to fixing up the road. Focusing simply on these three characters, G