Mike Spring
What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – August 18, 2026
This week is kind of an off week, with no major A-list releases hitting shelves (although next week has a few biggies!) Still, there are definitely some worthwhile hidden gems to check out, so read on to see what might have escaped your notice!
Check out my new book, I Believe You Have My Stapler: 20 Cult Classics From the 1990s and my previous book, I Want My Two Dollars: 20 Cult Classics From the 1980s by clicking here: tinyurl.com/stapler90!
In This Week’s Column:
- Exit 8 (Blu-ray)
- Seven Snipers (Blu-ray)
- Disco Italiana (Blu-ray Box Set)
- The Music Machine (Blu-ray)
- The Stranger (Blu-ray)
- Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe (Blu-ray)
- L.A. Guns: Live From the Guild Theater (Blu-ray)
Exit 8 (Blu-ray)
Official Synopsis:
Based on the global hit video game. A man trapped in a endless sterile subway passageway sets out to find Exit 8. The rules of his quest are simple: do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don’t, carry on. Then leave from Exit 8. But even a single oversight will send him back to the beginning. Will he ever reach his goal and escape this infinite corridor?
The Movie:
It would be easy to dismiss Exit 8 as a quick knock-off of Backrooms, the smash hit horror movie, except for one thing: Exit 8 actually came out in Japan in 2025, a full year ahead of Backrooms. Now, that’s not to say that the Exit 8 video game — upon which the movie is based — wasn’t influenced by the liminal horror induced by the original backrooms photo online, but the fact is that Exit 8 is its own movie. (And in my opinion, it’s a better movie than Backrooms, thanks to Backrooms just completely falling off a cliff in the second half.)
In the film, a young man on the subway has just gotten a phone call from his ex-girlfriend, who reveals she is pregnant. Unsure of how to react, he promises to meet her at the hospital, but when he exits the subway, he finds himself in a never-ending subway platform with a bizarre set of rules: “Do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don’t, carry on. Then leave from Exit 8.” That’s it, those are the only instructions he has, and if he misses something, he has to go back to the beginning.
Now, these kinds of ‘infinite loop’ movies can sometimes be frustrating as you watch the same sort of thing over and over again, but Exit 8 does what it does very well. First of all, just when the story starts to feel a little too repetitive, a new wrinkle is thrown in which changes the paradigm completely. (I’m trying to avoid giving any spoilers here.) Second of all, the technical aspects of the filmmaking are pretty amazing; I’d be lying if I didn’t spend some of the film’s running time going, “How the hell did they film this? Did they really build an endless subway platform? Or are the special effects THAT good?” Because so many of the movie’s scenes are filmed to look like one endless, continuous shot, the illusion is mind-blowing.
Ultimately, the end result is that the movie is good. It’s trippy and weird and vaguely sci-fi/horror themed, but it also has an emotional heft and – for me, at least – a satisfying ending. If you liked Backrooms but want a film without a problematic second half, I would definitely recommend checking out Exit 8.
The Bonus Features:
- Q&A with Writer/Director Genki Kawamura
- The Making of Exit 8
- Trailer
Digital Copy Included: No
Seven Snipers (Blu-ray)
Official Synopsis:
A retired elite sniper (Radha Mitchell) and her daughter (Annabel Wolfe) live a quiet life in the remote Australian countryside. That peace is shattered when a ruthless warlord (Tim Roth) from her past returns for retribution. Calling in her old crew, she prepares to defend her family in director Sandra Sciberras’ taut action-thriller SEVEN SNIPERS.
The Movie:
Sometimes I feel like the worst thing I can say about a movie is that it’s ‘serviceable.’ Which is, obviously, not the thing any filmmaker or actor wants to hear about a production they’ve put months or years of their life into. But hey, it’s also way better than saying something is flat-out awful, right?
Because that’s the thing about Seven Snipers… it ISN’T awful. It’s not even bad. It’s just… serviceable. Like, if you want a decent action thriller about a woman being hunted by an assassin who calls on her former sniper colleagues to help her survive and flush out the bad guy, you could do worse. And heck, the cast even involves some well-loved familiar faces such as Radha Mithcell (Pitch Black), Ioan Gruffud (Fantastic Four), Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), and the always excellent Tim Roth (too many things to list here.) I genuinely like all of those actors, and if I’m being honest, it’s probably their presence and performances that keep the film elevated above being completely forgettable.
That said, it’s an easy enough way to kill 90 minutes, and there are some decent action scenes. If you’re looking for deep characters, great dialogue, or things you haven’t seen before, you’ll be disappointed, but if you want a slick action movie to throw on before bed, Seven Snipers will fit that bill.
The Bonus Features:
There are no bonus features on the disc.
Digital Copy Included: No
Disco Italiana (Blu-ray Box Set)
Official Synopsis:
The worldwide disc premieres of three Italian Discosploitation classics with 5+ hours of special features and bonus soundtrack CD!
From the country that brought you Sharksploitation, Nunsploitation and Indiana Jonesploitation comes the white-suited subgenre that stayed alive for less than 18 months. Severin Films is now struttingly proud to resurrect this trio of Italian Discosploitation classics, on disc for the first time ever: American Fever, starring Mircha Carven and Zora Kerova and co-written by George Eastman/Luigi Montefiori, boldly confronts a young man’s disco dreams. The deliriously cheesy Grease Rock fearlessly blends comedy, action, drama, surreal dance-offs and non-stop music. And in the now-restored Complete Version of John Travolto: The Face With 2 Left Feet, Giuseppe Spezia – who bears an uncanny resemblance to the American star – goofily pursues disco DJ Ilona Staller (aka adult star/politician Cicciolina) with a little help from his friends. All three films in this collection have been scanned in 4K from their original camera negatives and include 5+ combined hours of Special Features plus a John Travolto Bonus Soundtrack CD.
The Movies:
You’ve probably heard of the Blaxploitation genre, maybe even the Sharksploitation genre, but have you heard of the Discosploitation genre? No? Well, don’t worry because you’re not alone. (And seriously, how do you not go with the much catchier ‘Danceploitation’, anyway? It rolls of the tongue so much easier!) This short-lived genre came about in the late 1970s as a result of the success of movies like Saturday Night Fever and Grease. I mean, let’s be honest, Italy never met a genre they wouldn’t exploit by making knock-off films, from horror to gangsters to westerns, so why would they stop at dance flicks? The simple answer is… they wouldn’t.
The new Disco Italiana box set, the latest in a line of similarly high-quality box set releases from Severin Films, collects the three most prominent movies from the era and genre: American Fever, Grease Rock, and the ridiculously (and awesomely!) titled John Travolto: The Face With 2 Left Feet. American Fever quite obviously apes Saturday Night Fever but in this case adds Hollywood dreams to young Tony’s dancehall aspirations. Grease Rock, meanwhile, has less to do with Grease than, well, Saturday Night Fever again, as a young man named Robby aims to become the king of the dance hall. Finally, we have the deliriously glorious John Travolto: The Face With 2 Left Feet, which has to be one of the best movie titles of all time! This movie is slightly more meta than the rest of them, if for no other than the reason that the hapless cook in the film uses his resemblance to John Travolta to pursue a dance floor queen. (Said queen was played by Ilona Staller, who would go on to become both an adult film star and a member of Italy’s Parliament!)
Here’s the thing: none of these films are very good. But neither are they bad. They live in that very specific space where good and bad are terms without meaning. These movies were made quickly, cheaply, and for a specific purpose: to cash in on the success of a couple of John Travolta’s back-to-back musical hits. On that note, they succeed. They’re curiosities more than fully fledged films, but they are both fascinating and fun.
As usual, Severin’s box set isn’t dependent on the quality of the films themselves. If Severin is going to release a movie, you know they’re going to give it the best treatment possible, and this box set is no exception, with over five hours of bonus features and a beautiful slipcover/box that’s exclusively available through their website. Disco Italian is a terrific effort that represents a particular moment that spans about two years at the end of the 1970s.
The Bonus Features:
- Audio Commentary For American Fever With Film Historians Nathaniel Thompson And Howard S. Berger
- All About The Music: The Birth Of Disco And The Road To Italy’s American Fever – Interview With Alan Jones, Author Of Discomania: Fantastic Beats And Where To Find Them
- American Fever Trailer
- Audio Commentary For Grease Rock With Film Historians Nathaniel Thompson And Eugenio Ercolani
- Brillantina Is The Word – Interview With Alan Jones, Author Of Discomania: Fantastic Beats And Where To Find Them
- Grease Rock Trailer
- Audio Commentary For John Travolto: The Face With 2 Left Feet With Film Historians Nathaniel Thompson, Eugenio Ercolani And Howard S. Berger
- The Show Is Over: John Travolto And The End Of The ‘Disco Film’ – Interview With Alan Jones, Author Of Discomania: Fantastic Beats And Where To Find Them
- John Travolto: The Face With 2 Left Feet U.S. Trailer
- John Travolto: The Face With 2 Left Feet Italian Trailer
- John Travolto: The Face With 2 Left Feet Soundtrack CD
Digital Copy Included: No
The Music Machine (Blu-ray)
Official Synopsis:
The worldwide Blu-ray premiere! Immediately after Saturday Night Fever swept the world, the ‘discosploitation’ genre was born. And in the UK’s first polyester imitator, director Ian Sharp (The Final Option) crafts a gritty time capsule of late ’70s London in which an unemployed bloke (Gerry Sundquist of Don’t Open Till Christmas) tries to win the big dance competition at Camden Town’s iconic club, The Music Machine. British-Nigerian singer Patti Boulaye, Clarke Peters (The Wire), Ferdy Mayne (The Fearles Vampire Killers) and Academy Award® winner Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot) co-star in this “oddly likeable” (The Observer) discomania melodrama written by James Kenelm Clarke (House On Straw Hill) and produced by Brian Smedley-Aston (Vampyres) with cinematography by Phil Méheux (Casino Royale), now scanned in 4K from a combination of the CRI and original camera negative for the first time ever.
The Movie:
I pick on Italy, but they’re not the only country to make exploitation films of popular genres. Also from Severin Films this week – but not part of the Disco Italiana box set since the film comes from England – is The Music Machine, a British film from 1979 that was also trying to capitalize on the success of movies like Grease and Saturday Night Fever.
Now, this one is a little bit more of a serious film than the Disco Italiano movies. No slight intended, but Italian exploitation films were known for being made as quickly and cheaply as possible. The Music Machine may have gotten its origins in trying to capitalize on a craze, but it was also made with the intentions of being a real movie. In it, an unemployed young man tries to find his fame and fortune on the dance floor by winning The Big Dance Contest, so storywise it’s nothing original. But the cast – which includes actual actors such as Gerry Sundquist, Clarke Peters, and Brenda Fricker (Oscar winner but also co-star of the 1990s cult classic So I Married An Axe Murderer) – elevates the material, and the filmmakers have some actual talent and pedigrees, so the end result is a movie which is derivative but also manages to stand on its own merits.
While this film wouldn’t have fit into the Disco Italiano box set for obvious reasons, if that release caught your eye, The Music Machine makes a great fourth movie add-on to the fun.
The Bonus Features:
- The Dance Partner – Interview With Actress Patti Boulaye
- Howard & Candy: The Music Machine Dance Rivals – Interviews With Actors David Easter And Mandy Perryment
- The Music Machine Mentor – Interview With Actor Clarke Peters
- The Dance Machine – Interview With Choreographer Anthony Van Laast
- The Music Of The Machine – Interview With Musician/Songwriter Les Hurdle
- Disco Maniacs – Interview With Mark Moore Of S’Express And Alan Jones, Author Of Discomania: Fantastic Beats And Where To Find Them
- The Camden Locations Of The Music Machine – Locations Tour With Alan Jones
- Teaser Trailer
Digital Copy Included: No
The Stranger (Blu-ray)
Official Synopsis:
In French Algeria, office clerk Meursault (Benjamin Voisin) stands accused of murder. His only alibi is a mysterious indifference. Photographed in sensuous black-and-white, acclaimed director François Ozon’s fresh take on Albert Camus’ classic novel of existentialist ennui is a landmark of adaptation.
The Movie:
I’m far from an expert on Albert Camus, but I studied him some in college, enough to know that if a movie is based on a Camus work, you can be sure it’s not going to be a straightforward, plot-driven experience. And while that is ultimately the case to some extent with Francois Ozon’s new version of The Stranger, Camus’ magnum opus, Ozon also delivers a more detailed and delineated take on Camus than some people might expect.
While Camus’ novel was notably vague on details (certain main characters didn’t even have their names revealed), Ozon takes a slightly different approach, not only giving everyone names, but also adding scenes and characters to flesh out the proceedings. It’s still a film that has a certain dreamlike quality (emphasized by its being shot in black-and-white), but it doesn’t feel nearly as incomprehensible as I expected it to.
Ultimately, The Stranger (and the works of Camus in general) are not really my cup of tea, but people who lean toward artsier fare will want to track this one down for a new take on a revered novel.
The Bonus Features:
- Interviews with director Francois Ozon, Benjamin Voisin and Rebecca Harder
- Deleted Scenes
- Outtakes
- Costume and Lighting Tests
- Poster Photo Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer
Digital Copy Included: No
Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe (Blu-ray)
Official Synopsis:
Action legend Jackie Chan and his beloved panda, Hu Hu, embark on an epic journey after discovering a hidden tribe in the jungle. Mistaken for a ‘mythical creature’, Hu Hu becomes the target of quirky warriors and magical tribesmen who believe the panda is the key to averting a disastrous prophecy. Jackie must use his wits and skills to protect his furry friend and uncover the ancient secrets of this mysterious land.
The Movie:
The first Panda Plan movie was a fairly benign family comedy about rescuing a panda from a zoo. So it makes sense that for the sequel, the filmmakers decided to GO ABSOLUTELY BATS—T CRAZY.
Okay, maybe I exaggerate, but where do you go once your original panda dilemma is solved? Why to the middle of the jungle, of course. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to throw in a plot that involves myths, magic, strange tribes of indigenous people, and a mysterious prophecy while you’re at it. Now, here’s the thing; that’s not a bad thing in that the movie is bigger and brighter than the first one, so I have no actual problem with it, it just seems like a weird pivot for a movie that was a pretty straightforward family film to a mystical adventure movie.
As always, Jackie Chan is pretty great. He’s obviously a lot older than he used to be and his action sequences aren’t the same over-the-top craziness that was his specialty for four decades, but he’s such a welcome screen presence that it’s hard to complain, even if he’s sharing top billing with a CGI panda bear. If you and your family liked the first movie, you’ll most likely enjoy Panda Plan 2: The Magical Tribe, just be aware that you’re in for a very different ride!
The Bonus Features:
- Trailers
Digital Copy Included: No
L.A. Guns: Live From the Guild Theater (Blu-ray)
Official Synopsis:
L.A.’s longest standing Sunset Strip era hard rock outfit, L.A. Guns, brings the firepower on this explosive concert album! Recorded last year at the gorgeous Guild Theatre and celebrating the release of their critically acclaimed new album Leopard Skin, the Gunners fire off killer versions of fan favorites including “Electric Gypsy,” “One More Reason,” “The Ballad Of Jayne” and more! Longtime vocalist Phil Lewis and the man who put the Guns in both L.A. Guns and Guns N’ Roses, Tracii Guns, have never sounded better!
The Movie:
I’ve been a die-hard Guns N Roses fan since 1987, and as such, I’ve long been familiar with the history of the band. And while Tracii Guns was never a part of the band once they became household names, he was a part of it in their formative days – hence the name Guns (as in Tracii) and Roses (as in W. Axl).
While L.A. Guns never really broke big like so many other hair metal acts of the time did, they have continued to pump out hard rock music over the years, and now they get their due on Blu-ray with L.A. Guns: Live From the Guild Theater. This 2025 concert sees the band as they are now, which is always fun. I go back and forth on concert movies. Sometimes, I really want to see the band in their prime. Other times, I think it’s cool to do a check in with them and see what they sound like now.
There’s no doubt that L.A. Guns might not be in their prime anymore, but overall I was pleased with how the band sounds, their energy, and their look during this concert in which they offer up 12 of their most-loved tracks for a game audience. If you’re an L.A. Guns fan, I would definitely say this release is worth grabbing!
Set List:
1. Intro – Taste It
2. Cannonball
3. Electric Gypsy
4. Sex Action
5. Hellraisers Ball
6. Hit and Run
7. Like a Drug
8. Speed
9. One More Reason
10. Theremin Jam
11. Over the Edge
12. Guitar Solo
13. I Wanna Be Your Man
14. Lucky Motherfucker
15. Never Enough
16. The Ballad of Jayne
17. Rip and Tear
The Bonus Features:
There are no bonus features on the disc.
Digital Copy Included: No
