Movie & Television Reviews

A decade after premiering on Nickelodeon and two years out from their film debut, the titular group of canine first responders, led by a preteen boy called Ryder (voice of Finn Lee-Epp), returns for another round of derring-do and some fresh life lessons.

A blast furnace of blasphemy, “Deliver Us” (Magnet), also is an amalgam of gore and nudity. Co-director (with Cru Ennis) Lee Roy Kunz — who co-wrote the screenplay with Kane Kunz and also takes the film’s leading role — seems intent on giving us religiously themed horror with sexy elements and the power to shock.

With “Expend4bles” (Lionsgate), director Scott Waugh extends a franchise that dates back to 2010 and that has always been fueled by mindless machismo. The latest blood-soaked entry in the series maintains that lunkheaded outlook.

People often use the phrase “drowning in grief” to describe an experience of profound loss. “Under the Waves” (Quantic Dream) makes that phrase come alive by placing an acutely bereaved character in the depths of the ocean.

“A Haunting in Venice” (20th Century) is the third in a series of Agatha Christie adaptations, all featuring her famed sleuth Hercule Poirot, on which director and star Kenneth Branagh has collaborated with screenwriter Michael Green.

Greek mythology continues to fascinate both the producers and consumers of modern-day entertainment. Its many tales and characters seem perpetually fresh, and their re-use tethers us to a rich literary past. Gamers will find a case in point in “Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical” (Humble).

“Wildcat” — directed by actor Ethan Hawke and starring his daughter Maya Hawke — takes a look at the life of Catholic author Flannery O’Connor as she tried to publish her first book in the 1950s.