“Puffin Rock” was an animated television show that aired in 2015. The program was aimed at preschool audiences, looking to bring a little gentleness and animal activity to impressionable viewers. It was also created by Cartoon Saloon, the Irish studio responsible for magnificent films such as “Song of the Sea,” “The Breadwinner,” and “Wolfwalkers.” “Puffin Rock” has stayed in circulation and popularity due to its quality, and Cartoon Saloon revisits the series with a feature-length adventure, “Puffin Rock and the New Friends,” which is meant to reunite with familiar faces and establish new characters. The picture isn’t created to launch a major cinematic event, holding true to the tone of the original series with some upgrades in animation and a bit more suspense when it comes to storytelling. Perhaps the target demographic for the movie remains small, but anyone can genuinely enjoy “Puffin Rock and the New Friends,” which provides a brightly animated and honeyed voiced journey with charming characters and vibrant environments. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Irena’s Vow” shares the story of Irene Gut Opdyke, who faced the intensity of World War II as a Polish orphan, soon coming into contact with Nazi leadership and desperate Jews as Europe was thrown into chaos. As events from WWII go, moviegoers have seen quite a few of these tales (including last month’s “One Life”), but director Louise Archambault (“The Bad Seed Returns”) finds a special sensitivity to the feature, which isn’t an epic about saving lives. It’s more of a survival film with some emotional ties, and the helmer manages to locate suspense while presenting a reminder of history’s darkness. “Irena’s Vow” is carefully handled and capably performed, with star Sophie Nelisse articulating the panic and concern of Irene’s experience, which found the young woman trying to pull off the impossible, protecting the innocent right under the nose of the Nazis. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A movie like “LeRoy, Texas” isn’t going to win any awards for originality. Writer/director Shane Atkinson (making his feature-length helming debut) returns viewers to the south, meeting dim characters stuck in a series of misunderstandings and betrayals, and there’s a suitcase full of money that’s gone missing, and everybody is interested in claiming it. Add in a body count and some exaggerated personalities, and Atkinson is pouring his filmmaking foundation in Coen Brothers land. Plot-wise, there’s not a lot to get excited about here, as the writing winds through story turns and crazy encounters without much in the way of inspiration. What’s more appealing are performances, finding the cast providing just enough commitment to make this tale of crime and heartbreak snappy at times, with some meaningful moments of understanding. “LeRoy, Texas” isn’t a rocket ride of bad behavior, but Atkinson handles select moments with suspense and silliness, wisely counting on the actors to do something compelling with his endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2021, there was “Blue Miracle,” with co-writer/director Julio Quintana overseeing an underdog story about sport fishing involving Latin characters and a supporting performance from Dennis Quaid. For 2024’s “The Long Game,” Quintana returns with basically the same movie, only this time he’s following the true story of the San Felipe High School Golf Team and their battles against competition and racism in Texas during the 1950s. And it also features a supporting performance from Dennis Quaid. “The Long Game” finds inspiration from a 2010 book by Humberto G. Garcia, and also dozens of sporting journey endeavors, with Quintana focused on making a picture that’s easily digestible while also touching on troubling times for post-war America and its relationship with bigotry. Surprises are minimal in the effort, but it does offer a heartfelt message on perseverance, attempting to provide viewers with a study of endurance while also highlighting golf achievements from young men facing adversity as they seek acceptance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Damaged” is a serial killer story, using the familiar approach of an obsessed cop on the case of a madman to inspire a few thrills to go with the usual in law enforcement investigation formula. Screenwriters Paul Aniello, Gianni Capaldi, and Koji Steven Sakai have an ending in mind with the material, but the journey to the final 15 minutes of the picture is quite tedious at times. Director Tery McDonough is a veteran of television (working on productions such as “Killing Eve,” “Better Call Saul,” and “Suits”), and he brings that sensibility to “Damaged,” which often plays like an extended episode of a T.V. program. There’s flatness here that’s dispiriting to watch, and early promise for a more emotionally complex chiller is left unrealized. There’s talent with the cast, but one gets the feeling professional interest in anything here was limited at best, creating an unquestionably somber but lifeless viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Dev Patel was once a cheery young actor who made his mark in pictures such as “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.” Patel has worked to change his cinematic presence as he matures, aiming for harder hits and challenging parts, including his participation in 2021’s “The Green Knight.” Making his feature-length directorial debut, Patel aims to shake up the senses with “Monkey Man,” which presents a gut-rot tale of revenge in India, with the helmer endeavoring to use as much local culture and troubles to infuse the movie with a distinct personality. It’s an actioner, but Patel and co-writers Paul Angunawela and John Collee aren’t making a wall-to-wall bruiser. They take their time with the work, giving viewers a clear path to vengeance and a feel for Hell as the lead character experiences a transformation of his own while seeking to destroy those who’ve ruined his life. “Monkey Man” is made of chaos, and that fury tends to be exhausting as the effort enters its second hour, but Patel definitely has a vision for the film, with this concentration on darkness sporadically thrilling to watch. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The film is titled “The First Omen,” but it’s really the sixth feature in a series that began in 1976. Director Richard Donner managed to sustain post-“Exorcist” fervor for antichrist activity into a major hit, and producers and studios have been chasing that high ever since, including a crummy 2006 remake and even a short-lived 2016 television show. There’s been a lot of “Omen” over the years, but screenwriters Tim Smith, Keith Thomas, and Arkasha Stevenson (who also directs) hope to rejuvenate the brand name with a prequel, going back to the early 1970s for an origin story involving the creation of ultimate evil. “The First Omen” doesn’t bring anything new to the saga, covering old news while trying create a backstory capable of inspiring fresh sequels, forcing Stevenson to get intensely visual with the endeavor, often sacrificing pace in the process. There’s some voltage in select scenes of physical corruption, but the picture doesn’t pack much of a punch, and it doesn’t come near the strange eeriness Donner (joined by composer Jerry Goldsmith) managed to create nearly 50 years ago. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Damian Hurley doesn’t have many industry credits, but he does have access to an established actress, which certainly helps to launch a directorial career. Hurley’s mother, Elizabeth (best known for her work in the “Austin Powers” series), is one of the stars of “Strictly Confidential,” which has designs on becoming an erotic thriller with turns of plot to keep viewers interested and some sexual activity to heat up the screen. The screenplay (also credited to Damian Hurley) is mostly focused on the development of a mystery involving troubled, duplicitous characters, and it also serves as study of seduction in many forms. Hurley doesn’t have the experience to bring out the De Palma-esque intention of the writing, offering a lifeless, bloodless examination of a few emotional breakdowns. The helmer doesn’t push the picture’s sauciness and he’s mostly fatigued when it comes to blowing minds, but “Strictly Confidential” does have the novelty of a son exploiting the sex appeal of his mom for the benefit of an otherwise uninteresting whodunit. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In his last feature, “Smoking Causes Coughing,” writer/director Quentin Dupieux brought the ways of superhero cinema down to a manageable, indie film size, remaining with his career goal to provide short, humorous pictures that permit him complete creative control. Dupieux goes even smaller with “Yannick,” which takes place entirely inside a theater, following the disruption of a mediocre play by its most disappointed audience member. Expectations are in place for a comedy about the critical and creative process, but the helmer doesn’t pursue a more satiric study of art appreciation. Instead, Dupieux aims for a dry, argumentative understanding of frustration and personality, with some detours into creative expression. “Yannick” doesn’t have many hilarious moments, but it still scores with select scenes, and acting is superb, bringing life to Dupieux’s customary simplicity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The People's Joker” opens with a few paragraphs of legalese, putting the picture behind the protective wall of “fair use” before it begins. And one can understand the anxiety of the production, as co-writer/director/actor Vera Drew wields the world of D.C. Comics and the D.C. Extended Universe to inspire a “queer coming-of-age film” that uses the history of Batman and Superman in ways never before seen on screen. Drew attempts to create a subversive comedy about identity, self-worth, and the many ways of love with the endeavor, employing pop culture sacred cows to propel a highly bizarre movie that remains somewhat formulaic with characterization, but essentially lives to poke at superhero entertainment. Drew goes the DIY route with “The People’s Joker,” basically building a greenscreen odyssey into comedy and concern that’s impressively imagined at times, representing a real homegrown effort to complete a personal vision for mischief and creative expression. Actually sitting through the feature is a bit more challenging. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Many people, including myself, believed 2020’s “Rifkin’s Festival” would be the final film for writer/director Woody Allen. However, the 88-year-old helmer stays committed to his career, taking his business to Paris for “Coup de Chance,” reemerging with a darker tale of love and death in France. Allen’s visited the cruel edges of humanity before, plenty of times, and largely remains minimal and somewhat sinister with this, his 50th feature-length endeavor. It’s not a suspense piece, but more of a moody offering from Allen, who examines the whirlwind of attraction and the strain of marriage in the effort, taking the tale into bleak areas of jealousy and mistrust while lingering on his love of conversation and peculiar character business. “Coup de Chance” is Allen’s best picture in a decade, easily topping recent forays into mediocrity with a reasonably tight and mildly twisted tale that’s capably performed by the cast. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Thea Sharrock, director of “The One and Only Ivan” and “Me Before You,” takes on a true story of obscenity and mystery in “Wicked Little Letters.” Jonny Sweet claims a screenplay credit for this examination of written horror in Britain, which tracks levels of hysteria as explicit letters are mailed by an anonymous writer, pitting neighbors against each other as blame for such hostility triggers a war between women. “Wicked Little Letters” has a magnificent cast, with Olivia Coleman and Jessie Buckley portraying battling characters, and the supporting team is also stellar, bringing flavor to a sour study of spitefulness. It’s an uneven tone that ultimately gets in the way of the viewing experience, as Sharrock is tasked with creating balance as the material reaches light and dark spaces. She’s unable master the challenging mood of the film, which can’t quite decide if it wants to be a farce or a serious study of empowerment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com