Here is my monthly round up of new films watched at home, starting with those I rented on Amazon but are also available on the usual services.

The Night of the 12th
One night in 2016, Clara (Lula Cotton-Frapier) leaves a house after dark where she had been spending time with her friend and is then horrifyingly slaughtered by an unseen assailant. A team of cops is assigned to her case, led by the new chief Yohan (Bastien Bouillon) and a moody, careworn older officer Marceau (Bouli Lanners). On the surface, this is a straightforward police procedural, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, there is a lot more to it.

It is based on a real life case and a book by Pauline Guéna who spent a year embedded with the French equivalent of the CID. That shows in Gilles Marchand and Dominik Moll’s screenplay with the frustrating dead ends, the cops discussions about overtime and printers not working, it has a real air of realism.

It also considers the role of a team of all male cops investigating a crime against a woman, especially when she has a private life that they may not approve of. Moll directs with a sure hand, Bouillion is excellent as the diligent but frustrated lead detective and Anouk Grinberg makes a telling contribution as a sympathetic judge.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10

God’s Creatures
In a small remote Irish fishing village, Aileen (Emily Watson) lives with her husband, daughter, grand daughter and father in law. Aileen’s estranged son Brian (Paul Mescal) unexpectedly returns after an unexplained move to Australia, but when Brian tries to rekindle a relationship with a local girl, Sarah (Aisling Franciosi), Aileen has to face a decision that will have consequences for the entire town.

This is a brooding and atmospheric drama from directors Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, with a screenplay from Shane Crowley. The locations have been picked really well, conveying a desolate and windswept community. Mescal is good, but like in Aftersun, he is outshone by his female co-stars. The brilliant Watson is mesmeric and Franciosi reminded me of what an impact she made when bursting onto the scene in Ken Loach’s Jimmy’s Hall a decade ago.
Rating: 8 out of 10

Full Time
Laure Calamy stars as Julie, a single mum of two children, with debts mounting, relying on public transport and her ex-husband missing and not making his alimony payments, she is struggling to keep afloat. Her childcare options are running out and her job, as a hotel chambermaid is stressful. Just when she thinks there’s a chance of a new opportunity in the shape of an interview for a much better job, a strike paralyses the entire transport network.

This is sure to be one of the tensest films of the year, without it involving any life or death situations. Pretty much everyone should be able to identify with Julie’s predicament as she races about trying to keep numerous balls in the air. Calamy is excellent and writer/director Eric Gravel provides a nail biting hour-and-a-half.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10

The Black Demon
It has been a few months since I have seen a shark terrorising stranded humans film, so here is The Black Demon to put that right. However, for a giant shark movie there is very little shark! It also is very uneven, starting really well with the introduction of the family who will be in peril, and seeing how they become stranded on an oil rig.

The revelation that occurs towards the end is nicely done too, but there is a lull before that, and the ending poor. The cast that includes the reliable Josh Lucas and Venus Ariel do a good job.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10

Cairo Conspiracy
Adam (Tawfeek Barhom), the son of a fisherman, accepts an offer to study at the prestigious Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. Shortly after his arrival, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar suddenly dies and a power struggle to replace him ensues, with Adam used by the Security Police to manipulate the result. This is quite an eye-opener for those of us unfamiliar with Egyptian religious and political machinations.

Writer/director Tarik Saleh steers us through with a firm hand and there are outstanding performances from Fares Fares, previously so good un the Department Q films, as a member of the security service and Mohammad Bakri as a general. Unfortunately, the weak link is Barhom who is too passive and dissipates the energy of the movie.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Over on Sky Movies, free for subscribers:

Simulant
Set in the near future, a humanoid enlists a global hacker to remove all restrictions on his thoughts and capabilities, triggering an A.I. uprising and a government manhunt to eliminate the rise of the machine consciousness. With all the recent new stories about A.I, that may sound topical, but this is little more than a tired re-tread of sci fi clichés. Jordana Brewster does her best, but cannot save this boring film.
Rating: 3.5 out of 10

The Integrity of Joseph Chambers
Robert Machoian wrote and directed this story set over one day in rural Alabama. Joseph Chambers (Clayne Crawford) is a successful salesman married to Tess (Jordana Brewster) with two sons. Despite his inexperience, Joseph decides to go hunting on his own, with traumatic consequences. Here, Brewster is sidelined as Joseph goes barmy in the woods. The problem is that he is not an interesting enough character for me to care about, and the story is pretty boring.
Rating: 3 out of 10

Seriously Red
Red (Krew Boylan) is dissatisfied career as an estate agent so decides to pursue a new one as a Dolly Parton impersonator. The appeal of impersonators and tribute acts eludes me as much as the purpose of this film did. Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale are wasted in supporting roles.
Rating: 3 out of 10

Breaking Point
Two teenage brothers with a rare talent for breakdancing, but at loggerheads since the accidental death of their mother, try out together for the British breakdancing team set to compete in the World Championships. This story pretty much writes itself and you can see what is coming from the start. I assume that Kid Karam and Kid Kelvin, who play the brothers, were cast for their dancing rather than their acting. It is up to the non dancers in the cast, principally Emily Carey and Hannah John-Kamen to do the heavy lifting.
Rating: 5 out of 10

Finally for Amazon Prime subscribers:

In Your Dreams
Burcu Ozberk and Murat Boz star as Pelin and Engin in this rom com. They play a couple in Istanbul who meet for a second and wake up next two each other two years later, married, not remembering each other or how they got there. Also, they don’t even like each other. The problem is, I did not like them either and had no interest in the inevitable outcome of their story.
Rating: 2.5 out of 10

Beautiful Disaster
This romantic drama is directed and co written, with Jamie McGuire, by Roger Kumble. Virginia Gardner stars as a college freshman with a dark past who is attracted to the college bad boy, played by Dylan Sprouse. Totally cliched and there is zero chemistry between the two leads.
Rating: 2 out of 10

Medellin
To save his brother from the hands of narcos in Medellin, Reda (Ramzy Bedia) gathers a team to raid the kidnappers in Colombia. Nastily violent but without any original ideas.
Rating: 3 out of 10

That Peter Crouch Film
Peter Crouch was a pretty average footballer but has had a very successful career post retirement, largely because of his self deprecating nature. Whether that merits a feature length documentary is debateable. There is a certain amount of interest in how he had to overcome prejudice about his height, and he is not afraid to talk about his struggles just as much as his successes. A pleasant watch, but there was nothing new.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10

My Fault
Noah has to leave her town, boyfriend and friends behind and move into the mansion of her mother’s new rich husband. There she meets Nick, her new stepbrother. They fall madly in love in secret. This is a very boring film populated by unpleasant and dull people.
Rating: 2 out of 10