iTunes Exclusive Episode Bilal A New Breed Of Hero

Welcome, Empire member and or members.
If you are hearing the sound of my voice, it means the following conditions have been met.
At least once in your life, you have checked out the Clubhouse podcast live every Sunday
night, 7 Eastern 4 Pacific, your one stop shop for all things pop culture.
But it also means you subscribe to our little show on your favorite podcast app because it is time
for iTunes exclusive number 348. So close to a milestone, kids. Welcome. My name is Rob,
I am the executive producer of the Clubhouse podcast and I enjoy cartoons.
I am a big kid in that sense, I am afraid to say it. But I am not alone for this episode,
joining me across the desk in the co-host chair of this evening is a man that was picking up my
slack this week by going to see a film that I was not able to do so. Alex is here, welcome sir.
I don't know if I jump on the cartoon bit so soon. We are going to have a lot of questions.
All right, fair enough. And also joining us as he tends to do is the official fact checker of
the show. And a man who's dancing to the intro music and I'm a little concerned about this,
you may know him as fondongo but as mama name him Don Ford, I'm going to call him Don Ford,
welcome sir. I'm just trying to get going. I've been sitting outside in the crotch position.
It's been a long day. I tell him. We still love you. Whatever we do one of these,
it is to review something and this is no different. Or is it? Today we are reviewing a film
that was directed by two directors involved here, a Karam H. Alavi and a Amon Jamal.
It is called Balal, a new breed of hero. For some it's this whole thing. Yes sir. We got
to thank Josh and our best friends. And a line integrated marketing. We're such fans of those
guys. They give us the opportunity to see films before they're released to the general public
so that we can talk to you guys about them and help the empire make their best decisions possible
for their entertainment dollar. I am going to read for you the official
synopsis of this film from the imdib. Should I use my trailer voice or no?
A thousand years ago, one boy with a dream of becoming a great warrior is abducted with his sister
and taken to a land far away from home. Thrown into a world where greed and injustice rule all,
Balal finds the courage to raise his voice and make a change. Inspired by true events,
this is a story of a real hero who earned his remembrance in time and the history.
All right. Hold on. I want to pause you right there. Okay. Look who wrote that
on the imdb. It doesn't say. Okay. Oh, it's written by the director. I see it now. Okay,
that's fine. So calling that the accurate synopsis, there's a person debate. Okay, so let me run
down. Yeah. Before we will get later while it's laughing while you're reading it because there's
some kind of voicing we'll get into. Okay, that's fair. That's fair. Let me go through this. This
is an animated film. So let me go through some voice casting here. Arawala, you can know why Abahe is
in this. Ian McShane, Thomas Ian Nichols, Michael Gross, the dad from Family Ties, yes him. Jacob
Latamore, Fred Tascatori, who is a legend in the voiceover business. Let's see.
Horribly underutilized in this film. I'm not sure that I recognize him.
And Sherry Jackson. Should I recognize her? Yeah. She looks cute.
Did you get him a Frappuccino before he comes to you? I did not.
Why? Because you can't blame this on sitting outside the house. Wait, no, I'm going to get
here. This is him being most of the way through his gallery. All right, I'm not going to judge you
outwardly. All right, let's get into this thing. Again, I did not have a chance to see this. I
have been working a crazy schedule much like Don did last week. That's kind of me this week.
So you guys went and saw this. So for me to say animated feature, you're saying
that's a loose interpretation? Well, I was more so referring to the fact of the child-like aspect of it.
Okay, I mean, this is rated PG-13. It's an hour and 45 minutes long. Yeah, it feels like they
tried to use some more adulterated source material. And it wound up so violent that it was PG-13
in a kids movie. Hmm. Okay, I'm listening. There is legitimate scenes of torture.
Really? And full-blown minus gore animated scenes that border on the Brave Heart in its design.
And it's a kids-like movie? Well, heavy metal was animated. Yeah, but that was rated R.
But that was a rated R. But this is not PG or that's a horrible, horrible analogy.
But I'm just trying to say I'm just trying to say that right, but heavy metal was never intended for kids.
And this is made like it is intended for kids. And there were a lot of kids there that day.
Yeah, yeah. And they were happy. Yeah, I'm gonna say because with what you're describing and what
I'm seeing in my head, I do want to know if were there a lot of kids at this thing? Do they seem
to be understanding what was going on? No. 50-50-50. There were ones that were being educated at the same
time since it does have a religious leaning. Okay. Because it's based off true events of somebody
that's very pivotal in a certain religion. Okay, fair enough. This is the best way.
Are we really gonna avoid saying it? You can say it. It is all really. Okay, now let's find. Yeah,
because the belal in question is Belal Ibn Rabah. Okay. Who is known as a very close
companion to the prophet Muhammad? Okay. And is known as being the first Mu'yadin,
the caller at the mosque for a time to prayer. So if you ever see a movie or hear anything that has
that very distinct, almost song like voice from a mosque calling for the time to prayer. The
star character of this movie is the first one of that. Oh wow. So there's a lot going on here.
There is a lot to unpackage and I don't know how we can get through everything because they didn't
even get through it for the moment. No, they did. That's fine. And again. Oh no, no, no, no. They
stop. Like what feels like halfway through the story and they're like, all right, if we show
anything else of this story, it's going to be rated R. So we're just going to have stills
and Optimus Prime narrate for 20 minutes. Really? Yeah. Yeah. This was kind of weird.
I didn't see Phil Collins. What was in here? There was Peter Cohen. Peter Cohen.
Phil Collins is a deaf leopard. Yeah. There was about this film is an hour 45. Right.
It didn't seem to little long, but not too bad. Not like two hours and 20 minutes bad. Okay.
So I liked the plot and what they were trying to get across in the story. But here's where
the problem is, there are certain aspects of the story. They extended too much in certain aspects.
Oh, they rushed through so much, especially in the end. Do you think it's because of the nature
of those parts of the story? Or I honestly have a dichotomy on this one. Fair enough.
Like one of the things that Don was referenced and got stretched out was the child friendly
upbringing of the origins of Balal. But at the end, it's almost like they go through this
huge battle scene. And then they just stop and wrap it up in 20 minutes and wrap it up with 20
minutes of five minutes, five minutes. It felt like 20 minutes. Well, yeah. And it was a Peter
Cohen impersonator. I'm 100% sure he wasn't actually part of it. But it's almost like either
A, they ran out of money for animation or B, they realized if we show any more of what this story
is, AKA battle scenes, war and conquering, we're going to R. And the thing was, it went where
the big battle scene and then, and I can see the build up to it. And they put a lot into the
childhood. I think they put too much into that. And where it's happy, go lucky in some aspects,
even though he's asleep, even though he's being whipped. Yeah. But then after the big battle scene,
and you figure they try to wrap it up, but they wrap it up so, so fast. So you feel like it's kind
of front heavy, front heavy, but then they, they, they, oh, by the way, this happens,
oh, by way, this happens. Okay, imagine like die hard where they get to the point where he gets
the detonators, then they wrap up the rest of the movie in five minutes, helicopters blowing up
the thing, he dying in literally in five minutes. But what's really funny about that is they do
five to 10 minutes of just complete screeching halt with the battles and then flash forward 20
some odd years in five minutes. Yeah. And wrap that up in about three to five minutes. And it's
like, wait a minute. So this huge pivotal point of the movie half an hour ago is completely fake.
So it really, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, okay, that I'm a little confused
right now. They picked to choose the movie in other movies. Yeah. In other words, they, they,
gave the first half of his life and extended a lot of stuff. And then in the last 20 years, they put
in five minutes. You're like, what? Are you serious? You wrapped it up that fast? I will say,
for the hot take is I really feel like this could have been a very interesting movie. If they had
just gone with the source of tail and since forget it, we're making an R rated movie because there's
violence involved in this story, but they went out of their way to try and make it kid friendly and
still could only get it to PG 13. Oh, really? Yeah. Well, let me, the other background that we missed
on ball all and I apologize for that is he was the first slave to convert to Islam, which was
the big deal because they were already mistreated as slaves. So being Muslim at the time or following
Islam was like a double whammy, which led to a whole lot of torture. Do you feel like that this
could be passion of the ball? Yeah. Not really what I was going for, but okay. I was thinking,
could you, did you would see this as more of a an Islamic answer to films like Prince of Egypt?
Yes. Okay. The best way is let's say they do this, if they did the same thing, let's say with
Jesus, he's born, he's born in a manger, he's a great kid, all that stuff, and he's grown up,
and there's some tribulation, then he do the last supper through the resurrection in two minutes
in a two hour film. I can't say I haven't seen it done that way, but you get the point. But
yeah, I mean, this is what they did. And I think the real question that now that we're talking
about this that people are going to be asking is, do you see this film as more of a historical film,
or do you see this film as more of a religious film? This story, I see it historic, but people in
that faith may see it the other way. Me as an outsider coming in, I sat more as historical.
Okay. In a faith face. That's fair. I actually took the time to talk to, because it was a very
religious crowd leaning that, and I actually took the time to talk to a couple of people on the
way out, just as somebody who didn't understand as much of what I was seeing, because there was a
presupposing that somebody watching this movie might understand more from Islam.
So, are you saying there's an assumed level of understanding going in? Yes. Okay. Fair enough.
So, I actually talked with a couple of people, and they were soundly enjoying it,
considering it, both actually. Fair enough. As the history is their religion and so on,
and there was a couple of interesting points where they were saying it actually wasn't
balal as far as our teachings, but you're not allowed to show the prophet's likeness because
that's against a religion. Oh, really? That's interesting. They actually used a couple of stories
that were about Muhammad, and imposed balal, and I even asked, I was like, wouldn't that seem a
little sacrilegious? And they said, no, it's very common that you use somebody as important
to represent. Because it's the point, the story is the point not necessarily the person involved.
Okay. Respect the big one in this, which really captured my attention, and that's mostly because
arguably the best character in the movie is introduced at this point.
Balal and some friends are at a well, and they wind up getting beaten by soldiers,
and incomes, the character of Hamza, who is voiced by Doug B. Mitchell. But apparently,
the background on that, because coming out of this movie, not knowing anything, I did some
research, because I was curious what I should have known, because I could hear gas when somebody
said, Hamza the Lion. And I was like, why is that a thing? And I look into it, and apparently,
this guy was what they like to call a big deal. Okay. So he was Muhammad's uncle, and
arguably the greatest Islamic warrior who ever lived. But he comes in and basically stares down
12 soldiers and are like, make a move. And everybody's like, nope, not dealing with him. He's
he's come like B.A. Come at me, bro. Master of merchants. So that leads me to a different question.
Okay. Do you see this? Guys, there's so many layers to this.
There's some things I have to go into. Oh, there's more. Oh, well, by all means.
Okay. The first off, the voicing. I love me, my, my Ian McShane, and I put my written review
at www dot clubhouse podcast.com. That's our website. I put on there. Swinging in Kung Fu Panda. He
did it. It worked. And this one, it doesn't work as much as I love him. I kept on thinking of
Owl the whole time through Al Swinging. Yeah. I call him Owl. I kept on thinking Owl Owl. You're
on a first name basis with an fictional character. God bless you. And some of the voicing was just
the tone and mannerism. It was kind of like, it just didn't, it didn't lock in for you very
long. And there's one point where we, we looked at each other because we're going really,
when they do the narration voice and it sounds like the robot from Transformers. It sounded
like Optimus Brown. Yeah. Yeah. Go world. And that's how I was laughing at your intro here. Yeah.
And it's like, I get to the point and I look at him and go, is Mark E. Mark from Paris, Texas
going to come out? Don't, don't, don't you dare. Don't you dare. I literally know how that ruffles
my feathers don't. But I was waiting for it. It's not the day. I was waiting for Mark E. Mark to come
out. I swear to God. Let me pump the brakes of it and bring it back. One of the things I did
look into because this movie was actually released in the United Arab Emirates two years. The UAE.
I looked and thought, you know what? There were multiple times where I was like, this has to be
dubbed. The animation and the audio are not syncing up. Okay. So it has to be dubbed and I look
into it. Nope. It was always in English. Really? So it just wasn't animated well. Yeah. Right.
The animation in this in some ways, it looks beautiful, but it goes out of focus sometimes. Yeah.
But I don't know how this is animated. But you wouldn't remind me of what's that? The characters
in the way they moved. It reminded me of those animated robots you see at Pirates of the Caribbean.
The animatronics. Or what you saw this style in Rudolph the Red Nose reindeer, the class.
The stop motion. The stop motion where they're where their mouths move, but it's so
oscillable and it's so, you know, so would you say more like first generation Xbox versus the Xbox
one? I actually in my review at www.theclubhousepodcast.com. Which is our website. I included two fairly
recent references that I think were taken directly for the inspiration of the animation, just not
as well done. Okay. And that was Assassin's Creed Embers, the closing for Ezio's story,
where it was kind of blocky a little bit by decision. And the other one was Star Wars Rebels,
where they have that very distinct looking animation, because Star Wars Rebels started at the
exact same time that they started making this movie. Oh, okay. They just happened to, and I
apologize. I know there was a lot of work that went into it, but they failed. And it's okay.
Our vendors want us to give our honest opinions. It was a real choppy, real kind of fluid.
Even though it's anime, they can make it smooth and the syllables hit. But I'm going to my
watch and Rudolph again. Are they doing Rudolph and attention? Do you think this is a budgetary
constraint? I think that they had plot points. They had points that they really cared about,
because there was a dream sequence that they put every bit of detail into the grains of sand
that we're flowing and becoming this larger object, the scene where Homs has introduced, and it's
this big plot point. And the animation works. It actually looks good. But it almost seems like we
care about this, this, this, and this. But the other animators just fill in the gaps.
And I was watching, literally, like, this is Rudolph. It was too, a choppy did not move.
It was not smooth. And I'm, and they're talking, and you see their mouths to be so out of sync
syllable wise. That is true. And they did it. And I go, are you ready? Are you? You're doing this
intentionally? Yeah, I'm going to potentially. There are so many times I look at him.
Now as, as people of our ilk watching a film like this, do you feel that a target audience,
which might be a younger audience, do you think it would bother them in the same way it bothers you?
Not as much, not nearly as much. Because it's one of those where it's they're trying to be colorful,
they're trying to be loud, they're trying to be entertaining. And they have some really
interesting character designs. Although one of my favorite games, maybe about a third of the way
through the movie was to realize that certain characters weren't being drawn the same. And you
could almost tell when a different animator picked up. Oh, wow. Okay. To the point where one guy's
mustache is sticking off curly. And then the next scene, it's gone. And you think, oh, okay,
maybe he shaved. And then the next scene, it's back. And it's, are they talking to each other?
But is it, you know, how we use the phrase style over substance? Is this the opposite of that?
Is this substance over style? Yeah. I think they knew exactly what groove they were going to
hit in with the source material. And everything else was just love. But with the look in the way
the toning was and everything like that, it really reminded me of some of those horrible animations
from Japan where you're going, huh? Okay. And it's just, it's so emotional. And the toning was off
and all that. And it's just like some of the even Pokemon that's so horrible. But they didn't
intentionally, even though they had a big budget and they could have made it real beautiful.
But I will say there is one thing that rings true. And it's really second level.
You can tell that the people who were writing it and directing it cared a lot about getting
certain points of the material out to that they didn't care about the animation as much.
So again, it is more substance over style, which is something we don't see very much of.
And it didn't work this time. A $30 million budget. Yes.
Interesting. And I'm willing to bet that our good friend, Aduelae and Ian McChain were a very
large portion of it. All right. Anything else you want to cover before we get to the final analysis?
No. All right. The way we do the final analysis on the show, we're not going to give you
thumbs up, thumbs down. We're not going to give you numbers, letter grades, anything like that.
I'm going to ask up to two questions because I don't know because I did not get a chance to see
this. So I'm going to rely on these gentlemen to tell me. Question number one is would you see this
again? If the answer is no, we're done here. The answer is yes. Then the next question I'm going
to ask is how far are you willing to go to see it? Because that will show their level of enjoyment.
So from the best of the best to the worst of the best, here's the spectrum. Full price at the
theater, twilight showing, matinee, early morning on a weekend, go to the dollar second,
second run at the dollar theater, down to actually leaving your house to get it from red box,
streaming it from Netflix or waiting for it on cable. Don will start with you.
I'm so riding this right now. This is not a visual meeting. Look at your face concern.
Would you see this again? No. Okay, fair enough. Alex, would you see this again?
I would, but I'm going to create a new level on yours a little bit. All right, it's going to be
waiting on cable, but it's more long lines if I turn it on and it happens to be on.
I'll give it another shot just to see now that I have a better education of the source material.
Okay. I'm curious to give it at least one more watch. Okay, that's fair.
It is Belal, a new breed of hero. For one, this whole thing. Yes, sir. We've got to think
Josh and everybody at Allied Integrated Marketing. We're such fans of those guys. They do things for
us where we can see films before they come out to help you, dear listener, make the best decisions
for your entertainment dollar. That being said, let's do the plugs. Visit our website, the aforementioned
www.theclubhousepodcast.com. Find out everything you need to know and some stuff you don't.
Follow us on social media. Twitter is at ClubhouseShow. Everything else is the Clubhouse podcast.
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So until next time for Don and Alex and the empire, I'm Rob. Clubhouse is closed.
A obligatory British Palmer reference here.