What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – February 24, 2026 – Rental Family, Regretting You, Arcane, Heaven, Frontier Crucible and more

This week sees another pretty jam-packed release slate. There’s a large number of Asian action movie releases this week, but you’ve also got tomance, dramas, a western, and a Star Trek graphic novel. Check it out!

In This Week’s Column:

• Regretting You (Blu-ray + DVD)
• Rental Family (Blu-ray + Digital)
• Bullet in the Head and Once a Thief (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
• She Shoots Straight (Blu-ray)
• Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee (Blu-ray)
• Arcane League of Legends: Season Two 4K UHD Collector’s Edition (4K Ultra HD)
• The Japanese Godfather Trilogy (Blu-ray)
• Frontier Crucible (4K Ultra HD)
• Heaven (Blu-ray)
• Star Trek: Lore War (Graphic Novel)

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Regretting You (Blu-ray + DVD)

Official Synopsis:

Seventeen years ago, pregnancy left teen Morgan (Allison Williams) bound to future husband Chris (Scott Eastwood), as his buddy Jonah (Dave Franco)-soon to marry her sister Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald)-pined for her. Today, as Morgan sought to help daughter Clara (McKenna Grace) navigate a crush on classmate Miller (Mason Thames), a tragic car accident would uncover a secret that compounded the survivors’ tragedy. Four-hankie take on the Colleen Hoover novel

The Movie: 

I’m a little bit concerned that Hollywood is going to run ut of Colleeen Hoover books to adapt long before she can put out enough books to keep up with the demand. It seems like we’ve gotten a half-dozen movies based on Hoover books in the past two years.

The latest one is Regretting You, a romance/drama/melodrama about friends, lovers, and their children, plus a tragic accident that reveals more of the past than some people probably wanted. It’s hard to say too much about the story, because even though it’s not a thriller or a mystery film, there are connections between the characters and decisions made that aren’t fully revealed up front, so I don’t want to spoil anything. Suffice it to say, the film fits squarely into the Hoover storysphere.

I like the cast a lot: Dave Franco, Allison Williams, Mckenna Grace, and Mason Thames are all actors I enjoy. And maybe it’s the source material, or maybe it’s the direction, but the film feels overblown and overacted a decent amount of the time. I mean, it’s not a travesty, but it definitely feels like “subtlety” was not a word that was ever used on the film’s set.

That said, I suspect Colleen Hoover fans will love Regretting You, and overall, I still found it more entertaining than not.

The Bonus Features: 

• Adapting You
• Love in Loss
• A Life Without Regret
• Promposal
• Line-O-Rama: Morgan
• Deleted Scenes

Digital Copy Included: Yes

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Rental Family (Blu-ray + Digital)

Official Synopsis:

In this heartfelt film, Brendan Fraser portrays an American actor in Tokyo struggling to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig with a Japanese “rental family” agency playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he forms genuine bonds and rediscovers purpose and the quiet beauty of human connection.

The Movie: 

When I was at New York ComicCon last year, I went to a panel discussion featuring Brendan Fraser. Even though he was there to promote a cartoon about bears selling drugs, the studio had the actors on such a lockdown that they literally couldn’t talk about the show at all. (It was weird.) So the moderator asked the cast questions about their other projects, and Fraser brought up Rental Family and implored people to go see it. And the reason he wanted people to go see it was not for sales reasons but because he was really proud of the film.

Now that I’ve watched it, I can say that his pride was not misplaced. Rental Family is a sweet, funny, charming, and moving film. It focuses on an actor who lives in Japan and is struggling to find work. He ends up working at a “rental family” agency, where he plays parts in people’s real lives. For example, early on, he plays a fake husband for a young Japanese woman so she can preserve her relationship with her family but also elope with her same-sex fiancé. When he’s tasked with playing a young girl’s father in order to help her get into a private school, well, it’s no surprise that real relationships start to develop.

The film is directed by acclaimed Japanese director Hikari and features a cast of Japanese actors largely unknown to audiences outside of Japan, but everyone is terrific in it. Fraser brings a warmth to the role couple with a humanity built on uncertainty and a desire to do the right thing. This isn’t the blustering Rick of The Mummy movies or the defeated character he played in The Whale. Instead, he’s somewhere in between: just a regular guy.

I really enjoyed Rental Family; it sucked me into the events of the film from the very firsct scene. I highly recommend checking it out, because it’s a good one.

The Bonus Features: 

• Rental Family Revealed
• Deleted/Extended Scenes

Digital Copy Included: Yes/No

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Bullet in the Head and Once a Thief (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)

Official Synopsis:

Bullet:
In 1967, on the way to the wedding of a friend, a young man is accosted by a local gang member. Later, the three friends administer justice, in the process of which the gang member is killed, and they leave Hong Kong to avoid the police and the gang. They run black market supplies to Saigon and get embroiled in the war, ultimately becoming captured by the Viet Cong. Their friendship is tested to the limits as they try to escape.

Thief:

Once a Thief is an action/comedy/romance movie involving the plight of three master thieves (a la Pink Panther). All three were raised by the same father as street orphans. After a successful art heist followed by a pledge to make it the last crime ever for the trio, the plot revolves around the theft of a mysterious “cursed” painting and how its obsession affects the family.

The Movies: 

Shout Factory’s excellent Hong Kong Classics line has not one but two fantastic releases out this week, both early films from the career of the legendary John Woo. Bullet in the Head is a pretty traditional outing for Woo: a hard-egded action drama with friendship, criminals, and war. It’s a perfecty good film. if not quite to the heights of Woo’s career that he’d hit with movies like The Killer and Hard Boiled.

Once a Thief, however, took me completely by surprise. Starring Chow-Yun Fat alongside Leslie Cheung and Cherie Chung, the film is a heist movie with a lot of comedic elements as well as a love triangle. While there are actually some terrific action scenes in the movie, there is also a lot of buddy comedy tropes and elaborate heist set ups. There are times when the film veers into silly territory, and the soundtrack doesn’t do it any favors, but the film is a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. It does get a few points off because Chow Yun-Fats “I act by chewing on gum incessantly” is so out of control that it’s actually distracting, but if you can get over that, the movie is extremely enjoyable. It’s just so different from what I’ve come to expect from a John Woo film that it really took me by surprise, but I liked it a lot.

Both movies come to home video on 4K Ultra HD and come with a generous helping of bonus features, making this a one-two punch that any Asian action cinema fan will want in their collection.

The 4K Video/Audio:

These movies are from the early 1990s, so it’s not like the 4K transfers make them suddenly look brand new, but you’ll find little to complain about overall. You will find nicely sharp image clarity, and you do get bright colors and good contrasts. As I said, it’s not jumping off the screen at you, but the picture quality does look good overall. The surround soundtracks offer up some good use of the surrounds when the action kicks in, but they’re not as nuanced or immersive as you might want from a 4K release. I suspect this was the best that could be gotten from the source material, however, as Shout Factory isn’t known for shoddy audio work.

The Bonus Features: 

Bullet:

• Audio Commentary with Film Critic Frank Djeng
• Festival Cut of Bullet In The Head
• Alternate Boardroom Ending
• Brilliance with a Bullet: Interview with Director John Woo
• Head Case!: Interview with Actor Waise Lee
• Army of One: Interview with Producer Terence Chang
• Apocalypse Woo: Interview with Editor David Wu
• Tumultuous Times: Interview with Production Planner Catherine Lau
• Hong Kong Confidential: Inside Bullet In The Head with Author Grady Hendrix
• Trailers
• Image Gallery

Thief:

• Audio Commentary with James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic at easternKicks
• Handling a Heist: Interview with Director John Woo
• Thoughts About Thievery: Interview with Screenwriter Clifton Ko
• Stealing Some Shots: Interview with Cinematographer Poon Hang-Sang
• Heists and Lows: Interview with Producer Terence Chang
• Art of the Steal: Interview with Editor David Wu
• Hong Kong Confidential: Inside Once A Thief with Author Grady Hendrix
• Once a Star, Always an Icon: Film Critic Frank Djeng on Actor Leslie Cheung
• Archival Interview with Actor Kenneth Tsang
• Theatrical Trailer

Digital Copy Included: No

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She Shoots Straight (Blu-ray)

Official Synopsis:

Joyce Godenzi stars in this action classic about a newlywed police officer who battles a Vietnamese gang whilst also trying to impress her new inlaws! Inspector Mina is a career-focused officer who has just married her supervisor (Tony Leung Ka-fai, Ashes of Time), who himself comes from a family of dedicated police officers. Her new sisters-in-law (including Carina Lau, Ashes of Time, Days of Being Wild) are a little jealous that Mina outranks them, but when a gang of violent Vietnamese criminals (led by the always excellent Yuen Wah, Eastern Condors, Kung Fu Hustle) target the family, the sisters unite into a lethal force of vengeance. Also starring Sammo Hung and directed by Corey Yuen (Yes, Madam), She Shoots Straight is another slice of top-tier Hong Kong action, newly restored in 2K and making its debut on Blu-ray!

The Movie: 

I’ll admit that while I watch a pretty fair share of Asian action films, I’m not a complete expert on the genre. So I’m not overly familiar with Joyce Godenzi and her filmography, but when you tell me a movie is directed by action master Corey Yuen, well, I’m in.

She Shoots Straight is from the “bullets & babes” subgenre of Asian action which sees female characters taking the action leads. Joyce Godenzi does a great job in the lead here, ably supported by Sammo Hung, Carina Lau and Tony Leung, as she tries to apprehend a gang while keeping her in-laws safe at the same time. As you would expect, the action scenes are top-notch and will have you glued to the screen from start to finish. The in-between stuff is so-so; the writing isn’t terrific, but I don’t know how much of that is the actual writing and how much is in the translation to English.

She Shoots Straight comes from 88 Films, who does a great job of bringing Asian movies to the home video market, and it comes with terrific cover art and a few nice extra features.

The Bonus Features: 

• Audio Commentary with Asian Cinema Expert Frank Djeng
• Alternate English credits
• Image Gallery
• Original Hong Kong Trailer

Digital Copy Included: No

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Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee: Collection 3 (Blu-ray)

Official Synopsis:

In the biggest and most diverse EUROCRYPT yet, explore 6 feature films that further define Sir Christopher Lee as one of the most iconic actors of all time. The teensploitation classic BEAT GIRL, in the Original Theatrical & Extended UK Cuts, stars Lee as the wolfish operator of a Soho strip club. Lee portrays a sleazy blackmailer in THE HANDS OF ORLAC, presented here in its separate French & UK Versions. Directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring Lee as a disfigured madman, The Worldwide UHD/Blu-ray Premiere of THE VIRGIN OF NUREMBERG is a 2-disc collection that sets new standards in Italian Gothic cruelty. ARABIAN ADVENTURE -hailed by Variety as “STAR WARS with flying carpets” – is director Kevin Connor’s all-star family adventure showcasing Lee as a dastardly Caliph. Lee is a menacing teacher at an exclusive boys boarding school in A FEAST AT MIDNIGHT, directed by Justin Hardy. With recollections by family, friends and Lee himself, THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF CHRISTOPHER LEE is a wildly unique documentary that reveals the screen legend like never before. Each film in this collection has been scanned from superior vault elements with 16 combined hours of Special Features and the new 142-page book, Christopher Lee: Eight Decades of a Dark Horse by Jonathan Rigby.

The Movie: 

Sadly, I seem to have missed the first two Christopher Lee Eurocrypt releases, but when it comes to a box set this amazing, it’s better late than never for me!

This series of box sets is collecting Christopher Lee’s earlier European films, so movies he made before he became a true household name in franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. I actually kind of expected it to just be all horror movies, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that wasn’t the case. In fact, only one of the movies, The Virgin of Nuremberg, really qualifies as a horror movie. The rest range from more traditional thrillers to teen exploitation to adventure movies.

Probably the highlight of the set for me was actually the 2024 documentary that makes up one of the six films called The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee, narrated by Peter Serinowicz (but narrating as if he’s Lee; it’s a unique conceit that somehow works.) John Landis, Peter Jackson, and Joe Dante are just some of the film luminaries who show up and share their thoughts on Lee in this terrific film.

This six-disc box set comes wrapped up in gorgeous premium packaging, includes over 16 hours of bonus features, and gives us a 142-page book, one of my favorite extras in any box set. It’s a must-have for any fans of Christopher Lee!

The Bonus Features: 

• Audio Commentary for each film
• Interview With Actress Gillian Hills
• London After Dark: The Sinful Soho Of The Sixties
• Hand Scare: A Portrait Of French Writer Maurice Renard
• Locations Of Orlac
• Margheriti’s Horror Castle – Interview With Director Antonio Margheriti
• In The Iron Maiden – Interview With Film Historian Fabio Melelli And Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi With Audio Excerpts From Antonio Margheriti
• The Princess Adventure – Interview With Actress Emma Samms
• Arabian Adventurer – Interview With Actor Puneet Sira
• Arabian Zoom – Virtual Reunion Between Kevin Connor, Emma Samms And Puneet Sira
• The Many Faces of Christopher Lee – 1996 Documentary
• BFI Q&A With Jon Spira, Hank Starrs And Christopher Lee Biographer Jonathan Rigby
• Extended Interviews with Juan Aneiros, Gary Curtis, Joe Dante, Peter Jackson, John Landis, Paul Maslansky, Harriet Walter
• Trailers

Digital Copy Included: No

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Arcane League of Legends: Season Two 4K UHD Collector’s Edition (4K Ultra HD)

Official Synopsis:

The acclaimed series set in the League of Legends world reaches its thrilling climax in Arcane Season Two. After Jinx’s catastrophic assault on the Council, the tension between utopian Piltover and subterranean Zaun erupts into full-scale war. As both factions contend with the looming danger posed by the ruthless empire of Noxus, continued tinkering with the potent yet unstable Hextech could lead to catastrophe.

The Movie: 

I’m not a video gamer, but I like video games. As such, while I don’t play them regularly, I’m at least a little dialed in to what’s hot and what’s not in the video game realm. League of Legends is a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game that takes the battle arena genre and creates a world that had some characters and story elements, but focused mostly on the battle aspects of the game. Back in 2021, however, Netflix produced an animated series based on the game called Arcane: League of Legends. It was a big enough hit that a second season was quickly dialed up… but it took four years to hit screens. I can’t speak to how interested people were after such a long break, but now that the show has concluded, GKids has brought the second season to shelves in a gorgeous 4K Ultra HD Collector’s Edition Box Set release.

The premise of the animated show sets it on a fictional world in the cities of Piltover – where the rich folks live – and the city of Zaun – the dark, undercity where the real people live. The main characters are sisters Vi and Jinx, and they get caught up in a fight between the societies over some pretty big differences in what the way of like should like for the people of the world. I don’t know how much the show really has to do with the game as I’ve never played it, but it is a pretty cool show overall. The animation is highly stylized, and the show doesn’t skimp on the action, all while developing the characters in a way that allows you to really care what happens to them. The voice cast also sees a lot of great talent and big names, including Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, Robin Atkin-Downes, Toks Olagundoye, and Harry Lloyd.

This new Collector’s Edition Box set comes in an oversized box (about the size of a small board game) with foil stamping that includes all of the material from the regular release, plus some new physical goodies. These include a set of dice, some very nice art cards, temporary tattoos, and a cool enamel pin.

The 4K Video/Audio:

Arcane: League of Legends comes to home video on 4K Ultra HD and the show looks and sounds very nice in 4K. As you would want for an animated feature, blacks (and black outlines) are deep and solid and colors are well-saturated and vibrant. The show varies in its palette, sometimes offering a full spectrum of colors and other times appearing almost monochromatic, but it all looks great. The surround soundtrack is also extremely effective, with a generous use of surround effects through the various speakers, as well as clean and clear dialogue, a must for animated properties.

The Bonus Features: 

• Anomaly Resin Dice
• Viktor’s Gear Enamel Pin
• Art Cards
• Temporary Tattoos
• Inside the Writer’s Room: Reshuffling the Cards
• The Voices In My Head: Crafting the Performances
• Artist Breakdown: Act 1
• Art Gallery
• Inside The Writer’s Room: Beauty and Tragedy
• A Sonic Ballet: Music & Sound Featurette
• Artist Breakdown: Act 2
• Music Videos
• Inside The Writer’s Room: What Could’ve Been
• Artist Breakdown: Act 3
• Going Another Way: Episode 7 Featurette
• Storyboards & Animatics

Digital Copy Included: No

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The Japanese Godfather Trilogy (Blu-ray)

Official Synopsis:

A sprawling epic based on the true story of Japan’s largest crime syndicate, featuring a cast of genre legends At the dawn of the 1970s, Japan is becoming an economic superpower and the Nakajima crime syndicate extends its grasp across the nation. Politicians and corporations seek the gang’s favour to form strategic and highly prosperous partnerships, but its leaders disagree about whether to leave the old ways behind for the sake of money and respectability.  Directed by Toei yakuza film specialist Sadao Nakajima (The Rapacious Jailbreaker), this sprawling epic is based on the true story of Japan’s largest crime syndicate and features a cast of genre legends, including Koji Tsuruta (Big Time Gambling Boss, Sympathy for the Underdog), Bunta Sugawara (Battles Without Honour and Humanity), Sonny Chiba (The Streetfighter, Hokuriku Proxy War), and Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Throne of Blood).

The Movie: 

While there’s no doubt that The Japanese Godfather Trilogy was indeed inspired by Mario Puzo’s book and/or Francis Ford Coppola’s movie The Godfather, it’s important to mention that this isn’t a remake or a rip-off. Sure, it’s a family and political drama set within the mafia, but it offers up its own unique take on what the mafia is and is like. While there are always common criminal elements, the way traditional American gangsters are portrayed and the way the Japanese Yakuza are portrayed are extremely different.

That said, the films do offer up a sprawling story with an all-star Japanese cast. Toshiro Mifune and Sonny Chiba are probably well-known to most Western audiences, and they are a welcome addition to the films here. We get family drama, political corruption, murders and assassinations, and a struggle for power that runs through all of the films. And sure, you can’t ignore a few similarities to The Godfather, but it’s clear that director Sadao Nakajima is crafting his own story, and it’s a story that works quite well. The films are moody and atmospheric, but not to the point of sacrificing action or character development. They also find a good balance between keeping things moving and slowing things down to let the movies breathe when they need to. I found this trilogy a fascinating deep dive into Japanese cinema.

The Bonus Features: 

• Archival interview with Sadao Nakajima (2020)
• Newly filmed appreciation by filmmaker Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (2025)
• New interview with scriptwriter Koji Takada (2025)
• Trailers
• Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Akihiko Ito and Tom Mes

Digital Copy Included: Yes

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Frontier Crucible (4K Ultra HD)

Official Synopsis:

From the producer of Bone Tomahawk. A wagon carrying crucial medical supplies needs transport through hostile territory. The only man who can guide it through to its destination is Merrick Beckford, but in order to get there, he’ll need to enlist the help of a trio of dangerous outlaws hell-bent on survival. When they accidentally kill an Apache scout, all bets are off and survival is the name of the game in director Travis Mills’s western thriller.

The Movie: 

I’ve been on a bit of a westerns kick lately, so I was a little bit excited when Frontier Crucible showed up for review. While I don’t find a lot of the westerns made nowadays to be all that great, this one at least had a good trailer so I figured it might be a solid film.

Annnd… that’s kind of what it is. It’s not terrible, it’s not great, it’s solid. There are a few too many scenes that are heavily dialogue-driven but don’t really advance the plot. The action scenes are a bit too few and far between, likely due to a lower budget. The film’s marketing really wants you to know the film is from the producer of the excellent Bone Tomahawk, and there’s a scene or two in this film that mirror that movie’s graphic violence (although not quite as extreme) It looks nice enough, but I’m not sure most of the actors – especially lead actor Myles Clohessy — feel grizzled or weathered enough to feel authentic. Clohessy looks like a model and seems to always have fantastic hair, which doesn’t exactly scream western hero.

William H. Macy shows up for a single scene, and favorite Thomas Jane is a value-add proposition. but the film has too many flaws to fall into the “really good” category, unfortunately.

The 4K Video/Audio:

The 4K format works very well for Frontier Crucible. The picture is crisp and clean with razor-sharp clarity, and the colors have a nice balance between realism and “pop.” Which means that things look vibrant without moving into looking unrealistic. The surround soundtrack also offers up a strong presentation. The dialogue remains centered, and that is of course the driving part of the film. But when the action kicks in, the surrounds will provide some extra zip and direction. It’s a strong effort overall.

The Bonus Features: 

• Making-Of Featurette
• Trailers

Digital Copy Included: No

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Heaven (Blu-ray)

Official Synopsis:

Diane Keaton’s only documentary and directorial debut mixes clips of how Hollywood has depicted Heaven with interviews of celebrities, crazy people and normal people, all of whom have strange and fascinating ideas of what Heaven is really like, how you get there, and what you do when you are there. Recently remastered in HD for the first time (also with remastered sound), Heaven, a Film by Diane Keaton, now plays like a poignant farewell to one of cinema’s most enduring performers, writers, and directors.

The Movie: 

Diane Keaton was best known as an actor, made famous by The Godfather and Annie Hall, among so many other notable roles. She also ventured into directing from time to time, and this week, we get her 1987 directorial debut released on Blu-ray for the first time.

And if you’re wondering what her first film was about, well, it’s right there in the title of the movie: Heaven. Yes, this is a documentary about how Heaven is depicted in film and television, juxtaposed against what people think Heaven is like. It’s an interesting enough treatise on a subject that obviously, there isn’t a cut and dried answer to. I can’t say the film truly captivated my attention, but I can say at least that Keaton was clearly a talented filmmaker and she does do a good job of crafting a film that asks a question and answers it the best way you can when there’s no definitive answer.

For anyone who’s either a Diane Keaton fan or who studies spirituality and religion, this might be an interesting movie to check out now that it’s on Blu-ray.

The Bonus Features: 

• Trailer

Digital Copy Included: No

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Star Trek: Lore War (Graphic Novel)

Official Synopsis:

Following the action of Star Trek: Day of Blood, an all-new crossover event between Star Trek and Defiant is here! Lore War shows us a universe rebuilt in Lore’s image. The crews of the Theseus and the Defiant are scattered across the universe with no memory of who they once were—some even worship Lore as their God. Lore has won; his rule is absolute. But the Sisko remains, and there are forces who wish to remind him of his power.

From the Eisner-nominated writers of Star Trek, Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly; the critically acclaimed writer of Star Trek: Defiant, Christopher Cantwell; the Eisner-nominated writer of Shaxs’ Best Day, Ryan North; and artists Davide Tinto and Derek Charm comes the next big Star Trek event!

The Book: 

For as a big of a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation as I am — and I’m a pretty big one, as I am all the Treks — I’ve never been a particularly big fan of Lore as a character. I understand that he was a good foil for Data, but the evil twin brother felt like such a cliched trope that the Lore episodes just never ended up being favorites for me.

So I wasn’t overly excited when Star Trek: Lore War, a multi-issue crossover event in the Star Trek comic books, was announced. (I mean, it’s not like I wasn’t gonna read it, I just wasn’t overly excited.) The crossover, which spanned two issues of Star Trek, two issues of Star Trek: Defiant, a Lore War Special, a Shaxs Special, and a giant Omega issue are now all collected in the Lore War trade paperback.

And I have to say, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Lore is more than just an evil twin this time, he’s effectively rewritten the history of the universe. And while I might not love Lore, I do love me some alternate timeline stories, and that’s something that Star Trek has always done exceptionally well. This is a great story coupled with great art that gives us some story elements we haven’t seen in Trek before, so I found it to be a lot of fun.

The Specs: 

• Publisher: IDW Publishing
• Format: Softcover
• Page Count: 216 pages
• Cover Price: $24.99

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