Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! 1h 33m. These companies punish farmers who complain about such ruthless practices as the tournament system . 15 years later, Morgan Spurlock is trying his hand at chicken with a new movie called Super Size Me 2 -Holy Chicken. After being there, that they "Hope to not see you soon!" When you watch Morgan Spurlock tell people he wants to open a fast-food joint, you see skeptical looks and stunned laughs in response. They all believed it would, including Thom Powers, the head documentary programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival, who was responsible for the movies world premiere at TIFF. Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, 2017. Jonathan Buttram, a farmer featured in the film, argues the whole chicken business needs to be dismantled, including the way farmers and slaughterhouse workers are treated. Its the last place anyone would expect to see the arch enemy of fast food. Morgan Spurlock ruffles the feathers of the powerful chicken industry in this follow-up to his 2004 documentary hit 'Super Size Me.' . Super Size Me 2: Holy Chickenwas the main loserafterthe director's self-revelations in December, where he told fans he was accused of rape at college, settled a harassment claim and been unfaithful to "every wife and girlfriend" he has had. If he and Holy Chicken can liberate even a small portion of poultry farmers from the Chicken Mafias grip, Spurlock says, that will disrupt the status quo. is both entertaining and revealing, balancing the documentarian's expos of the food industry's dishonest practices with a storyteller's gift for making emotional connections. Spurlock has partnered with Jonathan Buttram, an Alabama farmer who advocates for independent family farms, . After selling the distribution rights, Morgan Spurlock admitted to a history of sexual misconduct and harassment, resulting in a delayed and discreet release two years later. In this Oct. 20, 2015 file photo, Morgan Spurlock attends the 11th Annual New York Television Festival "CNN Presents: An Original Take on the Stories of Now" at the SVA Theatre in New York. I think the best part, he said, is that people can have their chicken and eat it, too. You could picture him winking as he said it. Chicken farmer Jonathan Buttram is a plaintiff in our lawsuit against the Trump administration for rolling back protections for family farmers and ranchers from corporate agribusiness abuses. Its portrait of one, Jonathan Buttram, who was blackballed for helping Spurlock investigate, is both poignant and infuriating. The culture is still grappling with how and when men who have admitted or been accused of sexual wrongdoing should emerge from exile. Alabama farmers like Jonathan Buttram are voting for Doug -- even if they usually vote Republican -- because they know that Doug too has integrity. Directed by Morgan Spurlock. Now, thanks to Spurlock's admissions and behaviour, hardly anyone else is likely to hear it and that's frustrating and disappointing. But his half-smiling poker face is ironclad. Muraskin learned about it through the news. When they sit down there [and it's] wet and there's methane and ammonia coming up and it burns their breast, burns their paws and they have a hard time getting the food and water, he said. Speaking at the premiere, Buttram detailed the toll these draconian and punitive practices had on his fellow farmers. Morgan Spurlock takes a second bite of the fast food world But as the vet hired to do an onscreen autopsy tells us, this is normal and the birds are not harmful to eat.. ", A strong possibility for the future of the film is on a digital platform, Powers said. Urging the hundreds in attendance to help them "speak out", he said he was delighted that with Holy Chicken "our story is finally beginning to be told". What hes done is instrumental in helping us.. When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. "Pop-Up" Restaurant In Columbus Might Be Prototype For New Fast-Food / CBS New York. In "Super Me 2: Holy Chicken", Morgan Spurlock explores the fast-food industry's claims that fast food is both healthy and organic by opening his own restaurant. At Spurlocks restaurant, truth is on the menu. "The chickens are being mistreated and the growers are definitely being mistreated. For example, Spurlock rightfully goes after the words being used to sell food to people. Great! He also admitted to cheating on numerous partners. Few Kiwis bothered to go see the repugnant Better Watch Out in cinemas, perhaps sending a message to Hollywood that those kinds of movies are wanted no more. Still, my mind wandered to, Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni & Tupac Shakur, Fatal Attraction Works As Entertainment, Fails as Social Commentary, Prime Videos Citadel Traps Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden in Played-Out Spy Game, New York Philharmonic and Steven Spielberg Celebrate the Music of John Williams, A Piece of His Fire: Harry Belafonte (1927-2023). And so, he offers moviegoers and potential customers the honesty he believes they crave alongside the fried chicken they definitely do crave not by sneaking cameras into the Chicken Mafias inner sanctum, but by laying bare his own restaurants operations. ", "The biggest thing that was most surprising is how badly farmers get treated," said Spurlock. If it were me, I would call you up and say, Hey, I screwed up. I would tell you whats going to happen., I applaud anyone who tells the truth, especially in the world today, Butler said of Spurlocks confession. September 10, 2019 / 1:38 PM in which he chronicles his own launch into fast food and agribusiness poultry farming. Theres an interesting, if too short scene where he asks for clarification from the USDA about some of these words. The Hollywood Reporter: 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!': Film Review Spurlock has gone from being an avid Big Mac consumer in "Super Size Me" to serving his own chicken sandwiches in "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!" -- a sober look at an industry that processes 9 . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Youre living the chicken dream! Spurlock says to one of his young, free-range birds, grinning wryly as the chick waddles in a fenced space extending only a few feet from the door. This time, his new gimmick flips the script: Instead of consuming fast food, Spurlock starts selling it. Theres also a "man on the street" interview showing how confused people actually are about these monikers. I felt that Super Size Me 2 was his best film, Powers said of Spurlock. In 2017, the director published a statement on social media titled I am part of the problem., I think that I looked at some of my past actions as being problematic[they] shouldn't have happened. Full statement from the National Chicken Council: The National Chicken Council is aware of the film Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! from filmmaker and activist Morgan Spurlock. ", First published on September 10, 2019 / 1:38 PM. Charles Morris, a Kentucky based chicken farmer who is currently engaged in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Tyson Foods. I would say things to someone that was my assistant that were, you know, sexually offensive. Morgan Spurlock's Holy Chicken Restaurant Hits New York City - Opening Fact-checking Eating Animals: What the film gets right and wrong. With his new chicken documentary, is Morgan Spurlock part of the The people that I hurtI worked with. When I got the idea for this, I thought what would it look like to open my fast food restaurant.". Fox calls Parkinson's disease 'the gift that keeps on taking' in candid new interview, Connor McDavid, Rick Mercer, 'Degrassi' among inductees to Canada's Walk of Fame, Aerosmith farewell tour starts in September, includes Toronto and Montreal stops, Grab your fancy duds for Met Gala mania with Karl Lagerfeld, Tim Bachman, a founding member of BTO, dies, 'MasterChef Australia' judge Jock Zonfrillo dies on eve of new series, age 46, Dramatic rescue on Lake Huron in Ont. We hope that for the sake of the brave farmers and their families, this film can still find a distributor.. "In the state of mind I was inI dealt with depression for decades," he said. "Two weeks ago, I had two farmers calling me threatening to commit suicide. 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!' is an excellent and necessary expose on the Big Chicken industry - it's a showcase of how unnatural the whole value chain of the chicken industry is, how the chickens are treated unnaturally to make them grow fast, the unfair treatment of the farmers and the clever use of marketing tricks to give a false . Company ended up having to file for bankruptcy. While much of thisSuper Size Mefollow-up focuses on the new tricks fast-food companies use to persuade us to buy their products (mainly around the use of language),Spurlock'squest to open his own chicken restaurant was it is most powerful when detailing the injustices faced by third-generation Alabama chicken farmers like JonathanButtram, who helpedSpurlockraise his flock. A Samuel L . During a scene in the film wherever he is tending chickens on the farm, Spurlock simply just opens a barn doorway and fences in a small, grassless patch of land. Its the last place anyone would expect to see the arch enemy of fast food. PG-13. He has kept his promises and will continue to fight for them. As Super Size Me 2 highlights, in one instance Tyson used a tournament system in which the company gave farmers a certain amount of chickens per year, and then paid by the performance of those chickens (i.e., size of the bird, and the amount produced). I never thought I'd be in a kitchen making, like, my own fried chicken sandwiches crispy chicken sandwich[es], he told Nightline., The project appears to be a complete reversal for the documentary filmmaker, who 15 years ago talked about making himself sick eating only McDonald's food for an entire month, as chronicled in the Oscar-nominated film Super Size Me.. . ", The minute I hit send, I felt better, he said. On Demand opening on September 13th. The movie didnt just show the directors health begin to deteriorate before our eyes thanks to his new diet, but also the crafty ways the fast-food industry makes some patrons eat its food to a level that causes obesity. . Part of that resistance stems from the Tournament System, a way for Big Chicken to punish/reward chicken farmers while simultaneously creating rules to keep them so in debt that theyre practically indentured servants. Since then, he's seen an explosion in restaurants stressing freshness, artisanal methods, farm-to-table goodness and ethically sourced ingredients. Butler said he learned about it from another farmer hes representing. women find hidden cameras inside Airbnb's bathroom, PSAC says tentative agreement reached with Treasury Board for 120,000 workers, Non-U.S. residents banned from purchasing tickets to Maple Leafs road games in Florida, How to create a 'win-win' situation for workplace mental health: psychologist, King Charles to uphold long-standing royal tradition of celebrating birthday twice, Trump lawyer seeks mistrial in rape case, citing judge bias, Mother-to-baby HIV transmission shouldn't be happening in Canada, researchers say, 2014: BTO speaks after Canadian Music Hall of Fame induction, Canadian from Guelph, Ont. One percent to 2 percent, 2 percent to 3 percent just that small movement is a huge movement, he told The Post. He runs the blogs Big Media Vandalism and Tales of Odienary Madness. Nobody came forward and said I'm coming after you. Menu. What does bug me about Super Size Me 2 is that it only skims the surface of the habitual human behavior Spurlock wishes to explore and exploit with his transparent marketing. Its almost guaranteed youll find a grilled or crispy (you never see the word fried) chicken sandwich on any menu (sometimes both) especially in the food chain industry. People love these and other items despite knowing that theyre not good for them. All I can do is have faith that every day I can continue to be the best person I can and translate that to the work I believe in, which is telling stories that make a difference.. Instead, grill marks are painted on with dark food coloring. Should have been done differently, he said. When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site . I was lucky enough to see Holy . Now that the waters have calmed I hope they would go ahead and move forward with showing the movie to the public., Business Insider contacted YouTube about the release status of Super Size Me 2 and a spokeswoman sent the same statement it made in December following Spurlocks tweet: We feel for all the women impacted by the statements made by Morgan Spurlock. But then came Spurlocks shocking announcement, which caught almost everyone involved in the movie off guard Morris and his attorneys, especially. Despite sexual misconduct confession, Morgan Spurlock's - CTVNews 1,633 likes, 128 comments - Morgan Spurlock (@morganspurlocknyc) on Instagram: "Someone has started a GoFundMe for our brave chicken farmers from Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! We can mortgage everything we got and buy the rights, Morris said. The documentary dives into the challenges farmers like Buttram are facing in dealing with big corporations. Nobody came forward to pressure me. Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! - Common Sense Media In Super Size Me 2, Spurlock shows its popularity with incredible clarity as he navigates not just the growing process of the chickens, but also the marketing muscle behind making the chicken sandwich so popular. But the dream of releasing a documentary that was as impactful as the 2004 original faded away when three months after that successful Super Size Me 2 world premiere, and at the height of the #MeToo Movement, Spurlock sent out a tweet that read I am Part of the Problem, along with a link to a letter via TwitLonger, in which he confessed to numerous acts of sexual misconduct in his past. Though Super Size Me 2 wouldnt have been able to speed up the wheels of justice, many involved in the suit believe at the very least Super Size Me 2 would have put a huge spotlight on the issue. The most shocking thing Spurlock said he learned about the . Days later, YouTube announced it would not release Super Size Me 2 and Spurlock stepped down as head of his production company, Warrior Poets. 'Super Size Me 2' Review: Beware That 'Healthy Chicken' SYNOPSIS: Morgan Spurlock explores whether the fast food industry . Morgan Spurlock restaurant aims to expose industry food claims . I did not know that, replied the guy. You know, green makes you think of natural, fresh vegetables, to the words that we use crispy being a perfect example. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider The man behind 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!' explains why his newest Once we open up two, three locations, the goal is to have our own farms, our own integrated system where we can pay these people more money and they can benefit from profit participation.. His farm-to-table restaurant, Holy Chicken, is also the namesake of his latest film, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken. Its a sequel to the Oscar-nominated stunt documentary that made him famous 15 years ago as the jocular redhead who ate McDonalds food exclusively for a month. He says its humbling to see the information exposed. The biggest reason Super Size Me was so effective was because it simplified what was wrong with fast food in America. Marshall County chicken farmer plaintiff in federal lawsuit against USDA because doctors & nutritionist recommend you only eat this type of food only once or twice a month. Samuel Goldwyn. Sept. 5, 2019. The ultimate success of the chicken company depends on the farmer. Because it contains hormones and is processed meat, so it's basically the whole chicken. NEW YORK, Sept. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating today's opening of his latest exploration of the food industry, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, Morgan Spurlock's honest and fully transparent fast casual restaurant is now opening to the public! super size me 2 rough draft.docx - Last Name 1 Name examines this from the corporate side, showing you the decisions that are made, the stories that are spun, the corners that are cut, and the lives that are impacted to get you, the consumer, what you believe to be the best food possible, at the most affordable price," said Spurlock. I've been blackballed for speaking out, Jonathan Buttram added. "I think the restaurant does a great job of doing that and kind of ripping the Band-Aid off the misleading terms and fractured landscape that we couch our food system in," he said. By the films end, Spurlock has an operational Holy Chicken pop-up in Ohio. The search leads him to a San Francisco firm called CCD Innovation. But rather than constantly subject himself to fast-food consumption as he did in the original documentary, Spurlock has instead decided to feed other consumers. "We will note that Tyson Foods has a poultry farmer advisory council as well as a Contract Poultry Farmers Bill of Rights, which includes the right to information detailing how much farmers are paid. Morgan Spurlock on making a 'Super Size Me' sequel and why he's taking Holy Chicken also details how farmers who want to give their chicken better living conditions, fresh air and sunlight, for example, are forbidden, "because happier birds don't get fat enough". Running time: 1 hour 33 minutes. He and his family have been punished financially for revealing the industry's secrets to Spurlock. Spurlock is optimistic. I wish I'd done it 10 years ago, he said. But the real meat of the movie are the sections about chicken farming, which see Spurlock hiring third-generation Alabama chicken farmer Jonathan Buttram to help him raise a flock of big-breasted . It's about return for the consumers. Or in this case, with a delicious original grilled crispy chicken sandwich.". Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! Before the festival ended, Spurlock scored a deal with YouTube Red, reported to be around $3.5 million, that included not just a streaming deal but also a theatrical release. 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!' Review - intpolicydigest.org In a phone interview, Spurlock said he wanted people to focus not on him and his transgressions but on the farmers who are being squeezed by major chicken processors. We want to give you permission to laugh in the places where it's really hard to laugh," he said. Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnairehere. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The Holy Chicken Pop-Up, located at 18 West 23rd Street, is serving up Spurlock's chicken fare through Sunday, September 22nd (11am-5pm daily). What makes an economic sector likely to be dominated by a - Reddit Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!" has languished for nearly two years, having been shelved after the director's disclosure of "past indiscretions." Yet the sequel to . Although chain restaurants now tout food that's "healthy," "organic," and "natural," filmmaker Morgan Spurlock explores this new reality with an approach even more immersive and subversive than that used for his first film he sets out to open his own chicken franchise! How do I start to make myself better? He made me laugh several times, in fact. He believes people like fried chicken and want to be in on the joke. Thats why I think that with Morgan and to get this word outwe want to try to give people a healthy alternative.. at a farmer named Jonathan Buttram and his son Zack. Chicken farmer - Organization for Competitive Markets | Facebook Smartly readjusting the ratios to focus less on the health effects of fast food and more on the oligopoly-run farming industry and the food trade's sneaky marketing tactics, Spurlock goes . His latest stunt is an unfortunate and one-sided hit piece on an industry that provides Americans with the healthiest, most sustainable, affordable, and responsibly raised protein in the market. What happened to Morgan Spurlock Holy chicken? - Promisekit.org Morgan Spurlock is about to launch his latest venture luring customers in with his version of the perfect chicken sandwich at his pop-up restaurant Holy Chicken. Our members use industry leading and third-party certified animal welfare practices to ensure the birds are raised as healthy as possible. Filmmaker celebrates new movie with natural, free-range, hormone-free chicken sandwiches and sides! "Right now, our best bet is for people to go and support 'Holy Chicken' because if it gets off and gets up and running we're looking at a nationwide chain," said his son, Zack Buttram. Where you know I'm contacting them, I'm sitting down with them, I'm talking to them.. The National Chicken Council, which represents the U.S.'s largest chicken production companies, told ABC that Spurlocks project is clearly told in a story intended for entertainment and not based on facts. It called the film an unfortunate and one-sided hit piece on an industry that provides Americans with the healthiest, most sustainable, affordable, and responsibly raised protein in the market." Additional information about how farmers are paid is readily available on our website.". 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Beyond that, theres a nagging aura of meh encircling the proceedings. And, you know, I got sober 640-plus days ago and it's been the greatest thing. Jonathan Buttram, a farmer featured in the film, argues the whole chicken business needs to be dismantled, including the way farmers and slaughterhouse workers are treated. Can One pay for a person to jot down my report - Travco properties The filmmaker and farmer discuss the new . Charles Morris, a Kentucky-based chicken farmer, who is engaged in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Tyson Foods, will also make an appearance along with Sandwich the official mascot of Holy Chicken. Odie "Odienator" Henderson has spent over 33 years working in Information Technology. Morgan Spurlock defends Holy Chicken: 'People shouldn't feel duped' But nutritionally not much has changed. Holy Chicken premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2017. Business Insider reached out to numerous independent film insiders and asked if they thought Super Size Me 2 would ever be seen by general audiences. CTV News Channel LIVE | CTV News Spurlock's own chicks are bred to grow so fast that they often suffer heart attacks or can't stand up. Farmers and advocates visit USDA. After one month of greasy Mc-oversizing, he proved the medical hazards of such an . Scene from "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! His pop-up restaurant in Ohio has long since closed but Spurlock brought it to New York to coincide with the film's release. In the U.S, the overwhelming majority of chickens are factory farmed and bred to be twice the size of those grown in the 1950's. - The majority of chicken farmers today are thriving and helping to produce Americas #1 protein. We got dozens of nos. I want it to come out, and not for me but for every chicken farmer in America. Its not really grilled since grilling fried chicken would overcook it. . Talking to farmers, he uncovers a reward system they consider rigged, one they complain makes them "indentured servants" to Big Chicken. "There was some time back in 2008 or 2009 where I was thinking about trying to unionize a McDonald's or a fast food restaurant, which would've been awesome. Its a full career reboot after he decided to be transparent about his history of sexual misconduct. While NCC did not participate in the films production, we can say that were proud of how U.S. chicken is produced. 'Super Size Me 2' reveals some unsavory truths about the chicken industry Morgan Spurlock's Holy Chicken Restaurant Hits New York City - PR Newswire Spurlock brings his disarming humor to uncover the truths and lies behind this multibillion-dollar industry. Super Size Me 2-Holy Chicken | Jack Shalom They used the former as a movie prop resta. The movie opens with a teasing montage: Not a minute has gone by before we hear a TV talking head saying of Spurlock, Well, you know his face, you know his name, the director-producer-actor and writer of the Academy Award nominee and so on. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Rated PG-13 for language, themes, a poultry autopsy. Buttram said rollback of the Grain . The Ohio pop-up is just the start of what Spurlock envisions as a minor revolution beyond the film. 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. His sandwiches are wrapped in paper that says: "Better for you -- sounds great, means nothing."