While director Ken Loach is a respected filmmaker with decades of cinematic achievements, his efforts typically favor stories of the downtrodden facing extinction, maintaining a career that’s primarily focused on those without means gradually consumed by their lowly position. “Jimmy’s Hall” joins the cluster of pain without protest, though it remains a more heartfelt examination of adversity than Loach typically offers. An Irish tale of religious oppression and romantic longing, “Jimmy’s Hall” is an unexpectedly illuminated feature from Loach, who isolates a range of emotions and impulses that deepen characterization, making the battle of freedom presented here all the more meaningful. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The healing power of music receives a revival in “Jackie & Ryan.” A low-key romance with deep-seated anxiety issues, the feature comes from writer/director Ami Canaan Mann, who made a splash a few years ago with the lauded but little seen “Texas Killing Fields.” Inching away from murder and paranoia to play softly with the troubles of average folk, Mann fashions a tender, understanding picture that attempts to evade formula through unexpected acts of kindness. “Jackie & Ryan” isn’t profound work, but it carries real heart and private moments of panic, emerging as a character study with a folk music core, matching the bond of stage performance with emotional unions found in everyday life. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Asghar Farhadi received global recognition for his 2011 feature, “A Separation.” Following it up with 2013’s “The Past,” Farhadi solidified a reputation for searing character dramas infused with shocking turns of fate. While the world waits for his next effort, American distributor The Cinema Guild has elected to find work from his past to share with hungry audiences. “About Elly” was first released in 2009, but its themes of deception and desperation remain relevant today, submitting a story of secrets and lies that builds with harrowing tension, detailing Farhadi’s expert eye with casting and his ability to snowball harmless intentions into life-destroying events. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Max” arrives with noble intentions, out to publicize the efforts of military working dogs, who sacrifice and suffer alongside their human handlers. There’s a riveting picture to be made about this subject, digging into canine psychology as it’s hit with the development of post-traumatic stress syndrome. Frustratingly, the screenplay for “Max” doesn’t go anywhere near such compassion, instead ordering up a glorified “Scooby-Doo” episode that takes violent turns and it shuffles away from its original intent. This is not a good film, with weak acting and worse direction, but what makes the feature a true spirit-crusher is how badly it botches an original perspective, trading valuable veteran insight for cliché. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Ted” emerged from out of nowhere to become one of the top grossing pictures of 2012. Little was expected of a talking bear comedy co-starring Mark Wahlberg, but co-writer/director Seth MacFarlane delivered a brew of smut and sweetness that was big on laughs. “Ted 2” isn’t a radical change of direction for the new franchise, but the production seems intent on preserving a plot for the sequel, trying to give the feature dramatic heft as it also stages gags involving marijuana, tipped cups of semen, and a ceramic penis bong. MacFarlane hasn’t grown up, but “Ted 2” delivers on its limited ambition, finding something for the bear and his bro to do while the helmer adds more of his fetishes and obsessions to the overstuffed follow-up. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Although “Testament of Youth” is based on Vera Brittain’s best-selling memoir about her time in World War I, it still feels utterly surprising. History and romance collide in this sensational drama, which manages to capture the wonders of attraction and the brutality of war without giving in to overt manipulation. Screenwriter Juliette Towhidi wisely shows restraint when necessary, but she also explores passions in an epic manner, confidently managing tragedy and fantasy as she depicts the maturation of a special young woman. Director James Kent also displays certainty, avoiding a PBS glaze of wartime events to cut straight to the needs of the heart and the expansion of the mind. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The title “Balls Out” is a turn-off, promising a crude and crummy sports comedy that’s in a dispiriting pun-happy mood. It takes some work to get past it (there’s a wretched Seann William Scott tennis comedy from 2009 with the same title), but it’s worth the effort, as this “Balls Out” is a smarter, sharper take on self-aware sports cinema, finding a healthy balance between razzing the genre and celebrating its pleasures. It’s also a periodically hilarious picture with an amiable sense of humor, eased along by an enthusiastic cast who’ve come to play, giving the feature a special spin of silliness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Big Game” is a throwback to a time in the world film market when studios would happily put pictures featuring heroic kids into production. Examples remain today, but it’s not as pervasive a plot as it once was, with animated antics taking over for live-action offerings aimed at pre-teens. From the writer/director of the sneaky evil Santa Claus effort, “Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale,” “Big Game” is a refreshingly short but enormously entertaining actioner that toys with cliché, but primarily gets by on explosive antics, trying to generate a Joel Silver mood in the middle of Finland. It’s far from original, but helmer Jalmari Helander successfully simulates the spirit of high-octane adventure for the PG-13 crowd. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2015 appears to be the year for killer bear releases. A few months ago, “Backcountry” stomped into theaters, bringing with it a ferocious appetite for terror and tension, making something exceptional out of basic forest location, limited casting, and no budget. “Into the Grizzly Maze” is after a slightly grander cinematic experience, though director David Hackl isn’t about to leave his exploitation interests behind, with the helmer of “Saw V” masterminding a graphically violent take on bear hunting that’s big on bloodshed and characters in peril. It’s a shame “Into the Grizzly Maze” isn’t more invested in straight-up horror, as its take on a family drama is wholly uninspired, despite the appearance of a varied cast trying to make something out of nothing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The pain exposed in “Aloft” comes dangerously close to parody. The independent film drills into paralyzing emotional ache that details a fractured relationship between a mother and her son, and the feature is set in the wilds of Canada, with freezing temperatures providing metaphorical chill. “Aloft” is not the most subtle effort, and it’s not the liveliest either, as writer/director Claudia Llosa makes sure to slow down and absorb as much misery as possible. Through the darkness, there are elements of the unknown that work well, giving the picture a reasonable mystery to solve, but it takes special moviegoing endurance to make it through the story, which seems determined to shut down as much outside interest as it can. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Imagine if Jared Hess directed “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” and that’s something of a description of “The Strongest Man.” Helmer Kenny Riches invests entirely in deadpan humor and a quasi-spiritual journey of personal maturation, combining the ways of mind, body, and soul with a story that concerns a stolen BMX bike. “The Strongest Man” is silly, but it never admits to it, finding Riches doing whatever he can to throttle the impish spirit of the piece, slowing the film down when it’s most comfortable with comedic speed. In fact, the feature is so comatose at times, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring a mirror with you to the theater, just to make sure the movie is still breathing at the midway point. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writer/director Martin Owen is on a mission to shred the pop culture poison of reality television with “L.A. Slasher,” which takes on the qualities of a horror film, but never finds its footing. It’s a subject that could always use exploration, but Owen is primarily interested in staging a sound and light show with the movie, which elects style over substance when dealing with a satire of disposable stardom. “L.A. Slasher” is a good-looking effort but offers no threat, positioning itself as dangerous, chic, and wise when it’s mostly muddled and poorly edited. These days, reality T.V. is mostly about lampooning itself, leaving Owen a little late to the condemnation party, rendering the feature dull and passé. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com