Hey thanks for playing and the detailed comment.
The Brick the 'M' on it is a mirror block, bounces the ball back at the same angle it came in on.
When you noticed the ball curving, that is due to the magnetic blocks marked with a negative and positive symbol.
And ya the ability to launch the ball at the start of the round was a last minute add and I forgot to add the control to the title screen. But I've since added it to the comment section below the game.