Russell crowe announced in 2012 that he would direct a bill hicks biopic. American by matt harlock overdrive rakuten overdrive. The bill hicks story while pushing documentary storytelling in a new direction much more than a. The bill hicks story, arizona bay, bill hicks, david johndrow, david letterman, dwight slade, its just a ride, kevin booth, mary hicks, matt harlock, paul thomas, rant in e minor, relentless, revelations, south by southwest, standup comedy, the david letterman show. Bill hicks certainly came close as portrayed in matt harlocks and paul thomas american. Directed by matt harlock and paul thomas, american. Photoanimated documentary on the life of comedians comedian bill hicks. A culture hero of the modern, open and liberal america. Filmmaker matt harlock and paul thomas chronicle the life, art, and philosophy of a singular performer with the documentary american. Matt harlock and paul thomas, two english filmmakers, have dug up some interesting footage for their unashamedly fawning study of. An animated documentary drama on the legendary texas outlaw comic bill hicks.
Apr 27, 2016 matt harlock, half of the team behind new documentary american. The bill hicks story is a 2009 biographical documentary film on the life of. Apr 19, 2011 this entry was posted in movies and tagged american. The award winning true life story of the outlaw comic bill hicks, told by the people who knew him best. The bill hicks story, a photoanimated feature length documentary vibrantly narrated by the 10 people who knew the legendary comic the best. The bill hicks story, tell shehani fernando how they assembled interviews, archive photographs and landscape pictures in a threedimensional. The bill hicks story is a biographical documentary film on the life of comedian bill hicks. He was described by many names philosopher, social satirist, even preacher, but he was ultimately a comic who believed that he could reach his audiences with. Photoanimated feature documentary, uniquely narrated by the. May 12, 2010 15 106min when bill hicks died of pancreatic cancer in february 1994, he left a void which the american standup world has found impossible to fill. It isnt surprising that codirectors matt harlock and paul thomas are having a hard time finding a u. The bill hicks story, the georgiaborn standup comedian was an alcoholic and drug abuser for a. The bill hicks story is an excellent documentary which has the hard task of making bill s childhood years interesting, and chartering his long, lonely years on the road. Featuring interviews with hicks closest friends and family members, the film uses digital animation to bring his standup routines to life and create a visual complement to his comedic vision.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Its called american and, naturally enough, it was made by two brits, paul thomas and matt harlock. Weve just passed the seventeenth anniversary of the death of bill hicks, and in memoriam id like to present the trailer for american. After his death in 1994 at age 32, he became a comedy martyr.
Written by bill hicks lifelong friend, producer and cocreator kevin booth, this book offers the inside story on a unique talent. The bill hicks story, explained, i was one of the guys who was at university in the uk in the late eighties, early nineties, who was handed a sweaty and muchcoveted bootleg of hicks work. Produced by matt harlock and paul thomas, the film incorporates never. In the country which enshrines freedom of speech in its constitution his story is truly about what it means to be an american. Featuring highlights of some of his greatest performances, it serves as a fantastic introduction to bill hicks for those whove yet to discover him, while offering dedicated fans a deeper insight into the man and his life. May 11, 2010 matt harlock and paul thomas, directors of american. I know that having read the book, seen the sane man and other bill hicks dvd and.
The result is 12 audio cds, 6 dvds and a photo book containing both. Dec 17, 2011 legendary texan outlaw comic bill hicks was and still is an inspiration to millions. If youve never heard of him before in your life, then you need to see this film even more urgently. The bill hicks story is the ground breaking new documentary that brings the tale of one of. Bill hicks was and still is an inspiration to millions. That wasnt enough posthumous validation, however, so the new documentary american. For codirectorproducer paul thomas, the interest was much more professional. A comics comic and unflagging critic of hypocrisy and cultural emptiness, hicks was one of a kind, a lenny bruce for the late 20th century, and few are. Russell crowe announced in 2012 that he would direct.
Now, two british filmmakers, matt harlock and paul thomas, offer the faithful a documentary entitled american. Featuring interviews with hicks closest friends and family members, the film uses digital animation to bring his standup routines to life and create a visual compliment to his comedic vision. Cleverly shunning a conventional talkingheads approach, american. The bill hicks story essentially posits hicks as a comedy messiah who died for our sins and will. Maybe i expected a bit more detail about his early years as a teenage comic or even during his outlaw comic days, but i was left wanting more knowledge all around to fill in some details about where his humor originated. The bill hicks story, based on interviews with his family and friends, premiered on march 12, 2010, at the south by southwest film festival in austin, texas. If you already know and love bill hicks, then you need to see this film. The film was produced by matt harlock and paul thomas, and features archival footage and interviews with family and friends, including kevin booth.
The bill hicks story, a conversation with director. Jan 25, 2002 i really cherish bill hicks, so when i read this book, i was a little disappointed with the content. Apr, 2011 bill hicks is a hero comedian, fighter for truth and for alternative thinking. Since his tragic death from cancer at age 32, comedian bill hicks s legend and stature have only grown, and this unique documentary tells his story, blending live footage, interviews and animation to fill in the details of a life cut short. Mar 11, 2010 codirectors matt harlock and paul thomas present their emerging visions american. The bill hicks story is a 2009 biographical documentary film on the life of comedian bill hicks. Filmmakers matt harlock and paul thomas both british are lucky that hickss family and childhood pals were happy to unburden themselves to camera, and. His timeless comedy tackled the contradictions of america and modern life head on. Much more than a comedian, bill hicks was and still is an inspiration to millions. A true product of the american dream, his rebellious and exhilarating comedy left no stone unturned and his. Bill hicks is considered by many to be the greatest comedian of the modern era. Jan 01, 2009 bill hicks certainly came close as portrayed in matt harlocks and paul thomas american.
Bill hicks is a hero comedian, fighter for truth and for alternative thinking. Filmmaker matt harlock talks the late comic legend as innovator of standup rebel humor, and his politics of. The son of southern baptists, this comedy preacher succumbed to his addictions at the age of 32, leaving behind a trail of questions in his wake. Paul thomas and matt harlocks documentary looks at the life of the comedian bill hicks. Bill hicks used to be considered merely one of the greatest standup comics in the world. Bill hicks american the bill hicks story official trailer. Apr 20, 2011 we caught up with paul thomas and matt harlock as american. Sixteen years after his death, the cult of bill hicks is as strong as ever, and now two british. Given the fact bill hicks was much more celebrated in the uk than he was at home, it is perhaps fitting that its british filmmakers matt harlock and paul thomas who step up to pay him his dues.
I very selfishly took up a nice chunk of time with directors matt harlock and paul thomas, who were at lff for the premiere of their much anticipated. Mar 04, 2016 this groundbreaking documentary uses a stunning new animation technique to tell the story of the modern cultural icon bill hicks. The bill hicks story unfolds his life and work, in a. The bill hicks story is an autobiographical film which tells the story of. I approached this film half expecting a cashin, as bill hicks legacy seems to have. The bill hicks story brings the tale of one of modern cultures most iconic heroes to the big screen. Hicks was only along for the ride for a tragically short time, yet left an indelible mark on comedy enthusiasts and freethinkers everywhere. Photoanimated feature documentary, uniquely narrated by the 10 people who knew bill best. With bill hicks, dwight slade, mary hicks, steve hicks.