Questions For Cliff of BCI Eclipse

[kungfusamurai]

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to post in our forum. We are all die hard martial arts film fans. I myself love kung fu, but I'm also a fanatic of the Japanese stuff.

I have a few questions regarding your future projects, and wondering if you are taking 'requests' or ideas for future stuff, if you haven't got everything all mapped out already for the next couple of years.

Sister Streetfighter Films - First of all, will this be sold as a set, separately or both? Secondly, I was curious about the fourth Sister Streetfighter flick. I know that 2 and 3 also have Yasuaki Kurata. There's a boot of what's called '4' which features a younger looking Sue Shiomi. But it doesn't seem to be related to the other SSF flicks. There's a fight towards the end which I think takes place in some movie studio. Is that the film that will be sold as SSF 4 in your set?

Kage No Gundan - there was an interview done on another website that mentioned BCI Eclipse was working on getting this to North America. Is it still in the works? And is the ETA this year, or has it been moved to 2007?

Tomisaburo Wakayama - AKA Ogami Itto of Lone Wolf and Cub. I'm a huge fan of this guy. I think he was the best on screen swordsman ever, next to his brother Shintaro 'Zatoichi' Katsu. I was wondering if you guys were going to work on bringing any of his flicks or TV shows to North America? Specifically, the Wicked Priest movie series (the first one was recently released in France by HK Video); and the Mute Samurai series which was released in Japan years ago on DVD, but without subs.

Yasuaki Kurata - there was a great TV series production he did in the early 70s called 'Fight! Dragon', which was released in Japan a number of years ago on DVD. It was a Japan/Hong Kong co-production, and featured guest appearances by guys like Bruce Liang and Bolo Yeung. I think this would appeal to both Japanese and Kung Fu film fans alike. It features some great choreography. Are you familiar with this show and have you been looking into getting that as well? There's a VHS movie edit of the series floating around the internet called Fighting Dragon if you wanted to check it out for yourself.

KFS

[Jesse Smooth]

Are you Familliar with a film callrd Roaring Fire? Starring Hiroyuki Sanada in his 1st starring role. Also with Chiba, Sue Shihomi and Abdullah the Butcher? Will this be relesed in widescreen format?

[cliffmac]

Hi,
Let's see if I can answer all the question.

SSF - Right now, it will be released as a set only. I belive the 4th film is not releated to the trilogy. Some books consider it to be a SS film even thought Etsuko Shihomi plays another character.

KNG - Yes, SHADOW WARRIORS will be released in August.

I am a fan of Tomisaburo, but mostly from Lone Wolf. I haven't seen any of his other fims. I sure whould like to pick up some of his films. I have looked at a few in the past.

I'm not familar with Yasuki Kurata. I'll have to look into this one.

Thanks for the questions.

Best,
Cliff

[cliffmac]

Roaring Fire -

I'm familar with this film as well. I looked at it once for a possible release. I might revisit the title again in the future.

Thanks!
Cliff

[kungfusamurai]

Yasuaki Kurata is the guy pictured in my avatar. He got big doing a bunch of kung fu flicks in the early 70s, then started doing some Japanese films in the mid 70s, including The Executioner with Sonny Chiba. Later on in the 70s, he would do Heroes of The East, a Shaw Brothers flick with Gordon Liu's chinese kung fu pitted against Kurata's Japanese ninjitsu style. He did an awesome job in Legend of The Fighter in the early 80s, in the mid 90s, he co-starred with Jet Li in Fist of Legend.

Of the titles you're set to release, he's in Sister Streetfighter 2 and 3 (he's the guy who helps out Shiomi's character in both films), and he is in an episode of Shadow Warriors in Season 1, where he plays a rogue Iga ninja who Hattori Hanzo must confront.

Thanks for all of your info. If you need any information regarding Tomisaburo's films or any Japanese action flicks, feel free to post your questions here. We're always glad to help if it means getting out the good stuff onto DVD! :)

By the way, here's a link to a thread I started a while ago with a link to Sue Shiomi's official page. It's in Japanese, but it has a lot of pics:

Sue Shiomi Page (http://p081.ezboard.com/fkungfufandomfrm25.showMessage?topicID=750.topic)

Here's a picture from the website that looks like its from the film that I was referring to as being called SSF 4 even though it didn't seem to have the same character:

http://www.yk.rim.or.jp/~2430mst/haregi2.jpg

KFS

[cliffmac]

That's right... he's in EXECUTIONER... silly me. I must be tired
I released both EXECUTIONER films when i was working at Ventura and released all of Adness America's product.
Heck, I even put him on the front cover of EXECUTIONER.

I really want to find Etsuko Shihomi and interview her for our SSF release. We are trying to track her down.

Thanks for your help and information.
Cliff

[kungfusamurai]

That would be awesome to see a Sue Shiomi interview! I don't read Japanese, so unfortunately I don't know if that website I posted above is her official website or just some fan page. I'm thinking the latter. Good luck with that. If not, you could also try getting one with Kurata (yeah, easy for me to say - LOL!). He's still making films. I saw him in Anna In Kung Fu Land recently.

KFS

[ToothbrushFu]

Is there an ETA for the Sister Street Fighter DVD release?

[cliffmac]

It will be out in September.

[cliffmac]

I just saw part of a Kurata film today called YELLOW TIGER. Some good action but Kurata had a double that was easy to notice.

Cliff

[kungfusamurai]

I haven't heard of Yellow Tiger. Was it an early 70's flick? If there were moments where the characters are doing flips or flying after getting hit, I wouldn't be surprised if Kurata was double. If it's just pure fighting, I've never noticed Kurata being body doubled. He's an incredible onscreen karate fighter. For me, his best performance during the early 70s era was Call Me Dragon with Bruce Liang. That finale is crazy! Liang and Kurata run half way across the country fighting each other. But its well done. I think that and the Fight! Dragon series were the last Hong Kong projects he did before going back to Japan. He seemed to slow down a bit in the late 70s, but then returned with a vengeance in '79 in Heroes of The East.

KFS

[cliffmac]

This movie is new, probably made last year... and made by Kurata's film company.

[Linn1]

not a bad film in a B-movie way. The fights were by Philip Kwok and it also had Chan Wei Man.

[Tosh]

Was Yellow Tiger the movie about a video game? I started watching a movie half way through, I reconized Kurata right away, he was fighting some guy in the airport bathroom, I commented on how well the fight scene was for a kids movie, then at the end I seen Kwok did the fight scenes, I had to explain to my friend just who the hell he was!

[Jesse Smooth]

I Really WANT to wait until September for the LEGIT Sister Streetfighter DVDS!!! I want to see a Sue Shihomi interview (her 50th birthday is in october, so it would almost be fitting).

But Damn PanMedia has to try to ruin it!!

[ManageMentor]

greeeattt news!!!!! cory(cannibal king) gave sister streetfighter dvds to jack(stiller the king of bootleggers) who had them factory pressed (no dvdrs). they are all over ebay, hkflix, nyc and places carries jack's panmedia bootlegs. cory changed name of sister streetfighter 4 to fifth level fist to fool the dumbasses at bci.

[Jesse Smooth]

Cliff can't you crack down on these bootlegers!!! I want the Real Deal

[Linn1]

cory(cannibal king) pulled all his sister streetfighter dvds after he was told BCI was going to put them out. jack(stiller the king of bootleggers) decided to have them factory pressed (no dvdrs) anyway because he doesn't care. they are all over ebay, hkflix, nyc and places carries jack's panmedia bootlegs. cory kept the original English name of the film that translates into fifth level fist to fool the dumbasses on the internet. Please at least get the story correct folks. And don't make this thread into an arguement about boots. You've said your piece. :)

[Jesse Smooth]

I wonder who's the bigger jackass George Tan or Jackoff Stiller?

[FarEastPirate]

BCI is Brentwood the biggest Notorious bootleggers around the scene.

Look who's calling the tea kettle black!

those guys are still selling Sister street fighter bootlegs and tons of other martail art stuff.

Sister street fighter is released by like 5 diffrent companies in the USA

[Linn1]

everyone. Please feel free to post another thread.