Mike Spring
What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – August 25, 2026
It is a small but mighty week this week, with my favorite movie of the year so far hitting shelves! No, it’s not The Odyssey! No, it’s not Spider-Man: Brand New Day! No, it’s not Project Hail Mary! What is it? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to keep reading…!
In This Week’s Column:
- The Sheep Detectives (Blu-ray)
- The Fast and the Furious: 25th Anniversary Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital)
- Practical Magic (4K Ultra HD + Digital)
- Reacher: Season Three (Blu-ray)
- Marshals: Season One (Blu-ray)
The Sheep Detectives (Blu-ray)
Official Synopsis:
In this witty, new breed of mystery, George (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can’t possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.
The Movie:
Yes, The Sheep Detectives is a family movie. And yes, it’s about talking sheep. (Well, they can talk to each other; humans can’t understand them.) And finally… yes, it is my favorite movie of the year so far.
There’s only one word to describe The Sheep Detectives: delightful. This movie is an absolute delight. It’s funny and charming and smart and silly and moving; yes, I shed a few tears when I definitely didn’t expect to. Hugh Jackman is the only big name star whose face you see, but the voice cast includes luminaries such as Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Patrick Stewart, Brett Goldstein, Bella Ramsey, Regina Hall, and Rhys Darby, among others.
But all of that means very little without a good story and great characters, and The Sheep Detectives has those in spades. The mystery is actually a real whodunnit, not a plot contrivance thrown in to give us a reason to watch talking sheep. And the sheep characters are all distinct enough to be memorable and for you to care about them individually. There’s even some great messages about individualism and family that give the film a really sweet undercurrent.
My one complaint has nothing to do with the movie itself, but rather the home video release. Since this is an Amazon film and they want you to buy their Prime service (which most people already have anyway, I feel like), there’s no digital copy included, which I hate. Look, I’m a physical media collector and a big proponent of keeping physical media alive, but I also like to have a digital library so I can watch movies when I travel or am on vacation. So, potentially, you could have paid three times to see this movie: once to see it in theaters, once to buy the Blu-ray to have in your collection, and a third time to add it to your digital library. Come on, Amazon, you have enough money, don’t you? Add to that the fact that there are no bonus features, and this is definitely a lackluster release for an amazing movie.
Anyway, I watched The Sheep Detectives in theaters and was smiling from ear to ear from the very first scene to the last. I then proceeded to tell everyone I knew how great it is, and I’m going to continue doing that. Go watch it now, you’ll thank me!
The Bonus Features:
Sadly, there are no bonus features on the disc.
Digital Copy Included: No
The Fast and the Furious: 25th Anniversary Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital)
Official Synopsis:
On the turbo-charged streets of Los Angeles, every night is a championship race. With nitro-boosted fury, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), rules the road, turning all his challengers into dust. He and his rival, Johnny Tran (Rick Yune), are the boldest, the baddest and the best. Now, there’s new rage on the road. They know he’s tough, they know he’s fast, but what they don’t know is that he’s a speed-crazed detective (Paul Walker) with enough drive and determination to come out the winner. With intense full-throttle action, awesome high-speed stunts and full-on, pedal-to-the-metal intensity, The Fast and the Furious puts you in the driver’s seat and dares you to exceed all limits.
The Movie:
So, when I say I’m a huge Fast & Furious fan, I want to be clear on what I mean by that. I absolutely LOVE the entire F&F franchise. Every single movie, every single meme, every single character, every single action sequence, every single quote that uses the word ‘family’… I’m here for it all. I watch my Fast & Furious movies a quarter mile at a time, and I will continue to watch and rewatch them until I run out of gas.
I won’t give you my full and complete ranking of the franchise here in the interest of space, but suffice it to say that along with Fast 5, the original The Fast and the Furious is one of the best two movies in the series. Before the films started to veer into the bigger and more ridiculous stunts – even I’ll admit that going into space was pretty silly – the original film was simply an exciting undercover cop movie mashed up with a racing film. Sure, it was effectively a remake of Point Break in a new locale, but you can’t deny how great it is on its own merits. And now, somehow, it’s turned into 25 years since the first movie came out, so we’re treated to a new Anniversary Edition 4K Ultra HD release.
For the most part, this edition is not crazy different from other ones, save that it now comes with a 25 year retrospective documentary and it includes a digital copy, which not every previous release did. With the eleventh (and reportedly final) movie on the horizon, this is a perfect time to revisit the movie that started it all.
Family.
The 4K Video/Audio:
Not surprisingly, The Fast and the Furious fares extremely well in 4K Ultra HD. The film is well-shot and has sharp cinematography to begin with, and the 4K transfer brings out the best in it. Colors are extremely vivid, with every brightly colored car in the movie seemingly glowing in the dark. Clarity is razor sharp and the picture never moves too fast for the transfer to handle, meaning the action scenes are crisp and clear and visible, which is great considering how fast everything is moving. The surround soundtrack puts the sounds of the races and the heists right in your living room, utilizing numerous surround effects. All the while, dialogue is clean and clear, and the low end will ensure that the race car engines and Vin Diesel’s gravelly voice are equally rumbly. This is how you want to experience The Fast and the Furious!
The Bonus Features:
- Riding a Legacy: 25 Years of Fast
- The Making of The Fast and the Furious
- Deleted Scenes
- More Than Furious
- Hot Off the Street
- Dom’s Charger
- Quarter Mile at a Time
- Tricking Out a Hot Import Car
- Multiple Camera Angle – Stunt Sequence
- Movie Magic Interactive – Special Effects
- Featurette on Editing for the Motion Picture Association of America
- Visual Effects Montage
- Storyboards-to-Final Feature Comparison
- Music Videos
- Speed News Wrap
- Feature Commentary with Director Rob Cohen
- The Fast and the Furious Video Mash-Up
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Director Commentary
- Paul Walker Public Service Announcement
- Turbo Charged Prelude to 2 Fast 2 Furious
- Multiple Camera Angles – Stunt Sequence
- Sneak Peek at 2 Fast 2 Furious
- Ja Rule “Furious” Music Video
- Caddillac Tah “PV City Anthem” Music Video
- Saliva “Click Click Boom” Music Video
- The Fast and Furious Soundtrack Spot
- Theatrical Trailer
Digital Copy Included: Yes
Practical Magic (4K Ultra HD + Digital)
Official Synopsis:
If a broom falls, company is due. When a circle rings the moon, trouble looms, Should you misplace your broom, sorry; a hand vac can’t be used in an exorcism rite. Fun and excitement abound in the Owens family of wily witches. One problem, though: the men the Owens women fall in love with are doomed to an untimely death. If a broom falls, company is due. When a circle rings the moon, trouble looms, Should you misplace your broom, sorry; a hand vac can’t be used in an exorcism rite. Fun and excitement abound in the Owens family of wily witches. One problem, though: the men the Owens women fall in love with are doomed to an untimely death.
The Movie:
There’s not a lot in Hollywood that surprises me these days, but when Warner Bros. announced that a sequel to Practical Magic was coming, I’ll admit it: I was more than a little shocked. After all, the first movie came out 28 years ago, and grossed $46 million domestic on a $75 million budget. Even with the film’s total worldwide gross of $94 million, that’s hardly a profitable movie. So why would the studio greenlight a sequel almost three decades later that it seems like no one was asking for?
I chalk it up to a couple of things: Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are two of the biggest stars on the planet, much more so than they were in 1998, and I think Warner is counting on that to draw people in. Second, the “cozy supernatural” genre is huge now compared to how it was in the 1990s. And third, it’s a legacy sequel; from the trailer it’s clear there’s a next generation of witches in the new movie, and I’m sure Warner is hoping to spin them off into their own new franchise.
But now we have the original Practical Magic making its 4K Ultra HD debut, and I believe this marks the first home video release to include a digital copy as well. I like the first film, but I can’t say I overwhelmingly love it. Of course, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are great in it, and the story is fun enough, but I’ve never really been wowed by it. Even revisiting it now, I found it sweet and charming and funny, but no more so than any other 1990s-era movie of its ilk. It certainly doesn’t stand out as a high water mark of cinema for me. That said, I have a friend who is absolutely obsessed with this movie, so maybe she represents the target demographic more than I do. Still, I’m glad to see it available on 4K UHD, and I’ll be curious to check the new film out.
The 4K Video/Audio:
The new 4K Ultra HD upgrade for Practical Magic is certainly impressive. The image clarity is top-notch, and colors are natural and warm and vivid, all at the same time. There’s a nice depth to the imagery as well, and overall the picture quality is quite impressive. The surround soundtracks is regularly active; even though this is a move that fluctuates between “action” sequences and quieter moments, the satellite channels offer up a good amount of ambience and activity, all while solidly anchoring the dialogue in the center channel. It’s a nice audio experience.
The Bonus Features:
- The Power of Practical Magic – A new retrospective documentary
- Commentary by director Griffin Dunne, producer Denise Di Novi, star Sandra Bullock, and composer Alan Silvestri
- Casting the Spell featurette
- Making Magic featurette
Digital Copy Included: Yes
Reacher: Season Three (Blu-ray)
Official Synopsis:
Season 3 of Reacher plunges Jack Reacher into one of his most dangerous missions yet. Based on Lee Child’s seventh novel, Persuader, the season opens in coastal Maine, where Reacher thwarts a kidnapping attempt on college student Richard Beck. What seems like a random act of heroism quickly spirals into a covert operation involving the DEA, a ruthless smuggling ring, and a personal vendetta that drags Reacher back into the shadows of his military past. Reacher agrees to go undercover for DEA agent Susan Duffy, posing as the bodyguard for Richard Beck to infiltrate the criminal empire of Zachary Beck—a businessman with ties to narcotics trafficking. The stakes rise when Reacher learns that Lieutenant Colonel Francis Xavier Quinn, a nemesis from his Army days, is connected to Beck’s operation. Reacher’s mission is twofold: rescue a missing DEA agent, Teresa Daniels, and settle unfinished business with Quinn, all while maintaining his cover in a world of deception and violence. The season’s eight episodes deliver a relentless mix of action, suspense, and psychological tension. From high-octane shootouts and brutal hand-to-hand combat to intricate mind games, Reacher navigates a treacherous landscape where every ally could be a traitor. Alongside returning favorite Frances Neagley (Maria Sten), Reacher faces moral dilemmas that test his code of justice: how far will he go for revenge without compromising his mission? Visually gritty and narratively taut, Season 3 expands the scope of the series with new locations and layered storytelling. Alan Ritchson’s commanding performance anchors the drama, supported by Sonya Cassidy as the determined DEA agent, Anthony Michael Hall as the enigmatic Zachary Beck, and Brian Tee as a soldier with secrets of his own. With its blend of undercover intrigue, explosive confrontations, and emotional depth, Reacher Season 3 is a gripping ride that explores loyalty, vengeance, and the cost of living by your own rules
The Show:
I swear, Reacher gets better with every successive season. I absolutely loved Season 1, liked Season 2 even better, and I think Season 3 is my favorite yet. With Season 4 just now hitting Amazon Prime, I have high hopes!
Season 3 sees the hulking Jack Reacher getting involved in yet another complicated quagmire, this time launched when he thwarts a kidnapping in Maine. As tends to happen to Reacher, that quickly lands him in a situation involving major criminals, ex-military operatives, and the government. As always, you get an unfolding mystery element to the storyline as you figure out who’s good, who’s bad, and who falls somewhere in between. We learn a few more nuggets about Reacher’s past, and of course, we’re treated to the usual incredible action sequences that we’ve come to know and love from the show.
One of the things I love best about the show is the complexity of the characters. Without getting into spoilers, there are some characters in this season that seem like they could be just all good or all bad, but instead they’re not quite either. They have layers and complicated backstories that inform their actions, and it really makes the show feel nuanced and layered, despite mostly being an action show.
I can’t get enough of Reacher, and I’m super excited to have Reacher: Season 3 in my collection. It’s a long wait between seasons and I love that I can watch it without ads thanks to this Blu-ray set.
The Bonus Features:
Sadly, there are no bonus features on the set.
Digital Copy Included: Yes/No
Marshals: Season One (Blu-ray)
Official Synopsis:
Marshals expands the Yellowstone universe with a gritty neo-Western procedural set in modern-day Montana. Following the explosive conclusion of Yellowstone, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) leaves ranch life behind to join an elite unit of U.S. Marshals. Combining his skills as a cowboy and former Navy SEAL, Kayce becomes part of a specialized team tasked with bringing “range justice” to a region plagued by escalating violence, organized crime, and deep-rooted corruption. The series explores Kayce’s struggle to balance family obligations with the psychological toll of law enforcement. As he adapts to his new role, Kayce faces threats from gangs, cartels, and extremist groups, all while navigating the moral gray areas of frontier justice. His team includes seasoned operatives and ambitious newcomers, each with their own secrets and motivations. Together, they confront high-stakes cases that test their loyalty, resilience, and sense of duty.
The Show:
It’s really impressive how the Yellowstone universe keeps on chugging along, even with the flagship show having ended after 5 seasons. Marshals: Season 1 is an excellent example of how you can make a spin-off that doesn’t feel like a rip-off. In this new show, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) joins the U.S. Marshals after leaving behind the Dutton Ranch life.
What this does is give us a hybrid series, wherein we get a police procedural (with a western flair, since it’s the U.S. Marshals), but rather than starting over with all new characters, we get a few familiar faces that allow us to check in on their drama, and that gives the show its emotional center. Simply put, if you want more from the Yellowstone universe, this show will give it to you. If you just want to watch a show about U.S. Marshals and don’t care about Yellowstone, well guess what? This show will work just fine for that, too. It’s pretty much the best of both worlds.
The Marshals: Season 1 Blu-ray includes all 13 episodes from Season 1, and since we know that Marshals is returning in October, this is a great way to get acquainted with the show before the new season launches.
The Bonus Features:
Sadly, no bonus features are included.
Digital Copy Included: No
