Yes, we do film reviews now! In the spirt of (rather haphazardly) trying anything once, my dear co-hosts and I attended the premier of The Last of the Pretty Boys, written and directed by local filmmaker Dustin Schmidt. The film is a love letter to Brisbane and the vibrant local music scene that has risen from the general iniquity of the depths of Fortitude Valley.
The Last of the Pretty Boys is a film about music, fame, and all the calamity that comes with success. But it’s not what you might expect out of a film that explores these topics. The Last of the Pretty Boys is not a glitzy biopic like Bohemian Rhapsody, Walk the Line, or The Dirt. There is plenty of drama but it’s not like The Sound of Metal or Whiplash. It’s funny but it’s not a parody like This Is Spinal Tap either.
Instead, The Last of the Pretty Boys is its own beast. It takes a slice of life approach to the realities of being a rock star, detailing all the ennui and minutiae of life off-stage as much as it depicts the excitement of life on-stage. The story is wholly fictional but feels incredibly real at the same time.
Meet Lazarus Graves (Alex Jackson), a troubled shock-rocker who returns to his hometown of Brisbane amidst the pandemic to play a homecoming show. He’s disparagingly compared to Alice Cooper in the film by a few. While he does bear a physical resemblance, his actual character is more like Kurt Cobain if he was forced to return to Aberdeen, Washington for a spell.
In the lead-up to the show in Brisbane, he is interviewed by a journalist for the Rolling Stone by the name of Laura Jones (Jay Bloodsworth). Laura however is not what she seems. As the day of the show approaches, Lazarus’ life begins to unravel as he is confronted by the demons of this past. As he hits the stage and performs to a rapt audience, his tale swiftly powers towards a tragic and poignant conclusion.
In my opinion, the film’s main strengths lie in the unique atmosphere that it builds, the ripping soundtrack, and in the captivating cinematography.
First, the atmosphere. Atmosphere is something I feel like many people would view as supplementary but this isn’t the case here. As I said before, this isn’t a music biopic that is constantly pinballing through the highlights of an artist’s career. It is a bit of a character study but that’s mostly through flashbacks. In the present day, Lazarus is back in town for a week or two and he has a job to do.
There’s a distinct sense of ennui about Lazarus as he is shepherded by his team through an onslaught of media appearances whether it’s interviews, speeches, or a club opening. He does a lot of drugs and drinks a lot (you could play a drinking game with how many times he hits the bong or the bags) but it’s not depicted as particularly invigorating to him. He may have come a long way from his humble upbringings in Ipswich, but Lazarus is still plagued by the distinct sense of boredom that he sought to escape as a teenager.
The film lingers on shots of his daily routine, whether it’s waking up, getting ready or walking to where he needs to be. I reckon many people think the life of a rockstar is all excitement and glamour but the reality of being an artist at that level is a lot of waiting around and being forced to pep up when all you want to do is sleep the day away. The film captures all of that perfectly with its moody and claustrophobic ambiance. At one point, his management hire two security guards to shadow him and you feel a distinct sense of relief when he manages to give them the slip for a bit.
Speaking of rockstars, let’s talk about the music. Most of the score comes from local bands and artists like FriendlyFire and The Disgruntled Taxpayers (hilarious name by the way) which adds to the charm of the film. Films are always team effort but hearing those bands lend their music to the score really makes it feel like everyone had a small part in creating this film even if they weren’t on set.
Many of the songs are played in full as Lazarus goes about his business. It’s mostly rock but there are a few electronic and hip-hop tracks thrown into the mix. “Walking Tall” by Roadhouse who we’ve interviewed on the podcast before comes on during a flashback scene. At the premier, the three of us were shocked that we were now hearing that song playing over cinema speakers. Big ups to Dustin for giving these artists a platform that many of them probably never expected to really have.
Even when music from the local scene isn’t playing, you still feel its presence. I’ve mentioned rockstars a few times but Lazarus isn’t the only rockstar on screen. My boy Luke Henery (Violent Soho, DZ Deathrays) has a small role as a paparazzi who initially draws Lazarus’ ire but later ends up sharing a beer with him. Ric’s Bar and Tomcat, two local dives that most artists around here cut their teeth on are also visited by Lazarus as separate points. He also attends a signing at Sonic Sherpa, a local record store that regularly hosts live sets from artists cross the country whenever they swing by Brisbane.
You get to see a lot of Brisbane in this film and not just because it’s the setting. Some films are set in a recognisable place but you only see the same few locations interspersed with stock footage. Here you really get to see the full picture, which brings me to the last strength of this film, which is the cinematography. For an independent film with a small budget, The Last of the Pretty Boys is shot incredibly well. There are so many great angles and creative ways to frame everything.
Going back to how you get to see a lot of Brisbane, at the very start of the movie, there’s a montage of Lazarus’ journey from the airport to the hotel. As the van makes its way through the city streets, the camera captures so much of the place as it goes past. There are some amazing low-angled shots that were clearly taken through or out the van window, just looking up at places like the XXXX Factory, Town Hall, and the Brisbane Eye. It really makes you feel like you’re right there, peering through the glass and seeing what anyone else would see if they took the same drive.
The film also makes great use of verticality in its camera angles. There are quite a few shots where the characters are suddenly seen from above or below, turning something as normal as waking up into something that immediately grabs your attention. It does the same thing when it places objects between the camera and the characters. When Lazarus is interviewed on radio, Laura and his publicist are seen through the glass in the other room while he and the host are talking. It really makes you feel that separation between them when you watch it. Another subtle but still quite impactful touch that can be achieved through creative camera work.
I could harp on for longer about all the other things that I liked about the film, but I won’t because then we’d be here forever. One last thing I will add is that this film was shot through the pandemic, which actually works to its advantage. You can feel and see (quite literally) that there is a distance between the characters, the camera, and the sets sometimes. It really plays into Lazarus feelings of isolation and world-weariness, if only by happenstance.
Dustin has worked on this film for three years now and shooting it through those conditions must have been tough for sure. It really speaks to his ability as a filmmaker to work with what he had and make a great movie out of it. As an independent film, it isn’t able to be watched quite yet in homes and theatres but it has been picked up for distribution early next year so we’ll keep you all posted on when it’s ready to hit screens across the country.
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