Art of a Hit

Frontman Ryan (Ryan Dowonho) sometimes looks like a real-life musician/actor. Johnny Depp never smiles and is perpetually in moaning mode, fearing irrelevance. The superior guitar player who tosses off different licks and styles Tim (Timmy Jo) offers a contrast with some arrogant moments of being great and not having talent appreciated. The best moments are between Ryan and Tim being pissed off when he realizes he has hitched his wagon to a falling star, having given up a tour.

Hedonistic keyboard player Matt (James Earl) seems the most tragic. He enjoys the hallucinogenic and follows along musically while bringing up their former bass player, Miles, who shows up as a demon, with his presence affecting the entire band. Cristin, the drummer played by Allie MacDonald, waits for something to happen, grasping at moments of former glory that turn into disappointment. The payoff also rings hollow as Ryan stands in a music shop listening to a track of his music.

“…seems to want to go places, yet never quite takes off…”

Oddly, one of the most salient points of the rock and roll myth is forgotten. There is no sex in the story, no hint of pleasures, no groupies, no locals, and no hangers-on that usually find their way into things, making this a rather sterile outlook.

Art of a Hit seems to want to go places, yet never quite takes off. The horror aspect of a demon figure appearing and the sinister warning by Charlie not to go into the Pigeonnier of the estate that, of course, one goes into in a dream to find sanctuary in a wooden box from the demon amongst the excrement make this an odd mix either a satire or musical human story. The soundtrack comes off as rather saccharine in mixes and navel-gazing lyrics as suddenly you have perfectly clean sound from players, but the director and editor are careful not to show the amps not plugged in or the drums being hit.  You end up waiting with no rough edges like the song ‘Waiting on a Friend.’