Title: The book was so much better . . .
Product review: There is a difference between melancholy and lifeless. A lot of reviewers have compared The Movies to Joy Division, mostly because lead singer Timmothy James strains to capture Ian Curtis' dour baritone. But their failed attempt to ape their influencers ends up making The Movies sound like amateurish wannabes, lacking songs, chops, and conviction. Even songs that show some promise musically fail to succeed: "Autograph," one of the catchier songs on the album, is hobbled by James' hokey, repetitious delivery. There are some pretty passages here and there, like the coda on "A Better Life," but they are too rare to salvage this snoozer of an album.
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