The chicken farmers who worked with us risked their livelihood to give us a glimpse into the vicious cycle of the chicken industry, hoping that their courage might help lead to change once the public had the opportunity to see the way chicken farmers are manipulated and forced into a cycle of debt. He eventually also lost his production company, Warrior Poets. The idea is to create a real chicken fast food restaurant. In six weeks, theyll be ready for the dinner plate, were told. I had to start with myself. Its crispy because the word fried is marketing taboo. '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 . - The majority of chicken farmers today are thriving and helping to produce Americas #1 protein. 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! Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnairehere. I'm going around looking over my shoulder now. investigates the world of the fast food chicken industry, as Morgan Spurlock decides to start from the very beginning and open his very own fast food crispy chicken restaurant.. Super Size Me 2 shines some light on some shady business practices in the American chicken industry, but it misses the real problem, that the socialist business practices are actually . "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!" Since this movie was made three years ago, its gotten a lot worse. (In the film Buttram and his family, who say they have been victims of corporate retaliation for cooperating with Spurlock, serve as the main avatars of the family farms that they say suffer under this regime. Everything is organic! Carlin says, mocking one of the biggest words used to make customers feel woke about their purchases. Farmers and chickens are being mistreated, Buttram told The Washington Post. Starring Morgan Spurlock, Jonathan Buttram and Zack Buttram. 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. It's getting national attention. Spurlock is optimistic. Charles Morris, a Kentucky based chicken farmer who is currently engaged in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Tyson Foods. After all, when it comes to fast food, chicken is the latest rage. 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. Since the movies original filming more than three years ago, a lot has changed: The chicken industry launched its transparency campaign Chicken Check In to answer questions about chicken production; - NCCs animal welfare guidelines were updated and certified by an independent audit certification organization; - All quick service restaurants now post calories on their menus; and. Questionable life choices. Like Michael Moore, Morgan Spurlock has a particular shtick that drives some people crazy. I was lucky enough to see Holy . I'm grateful and the number one word that comes out of the last two years is gratitude. I'm grateful to Jonathan and his family for sticking by me in the process. Directed by Morgan Spurlock. "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. The culture is still grappling with how and when men who have admitted or been accused of sexual wrongdoing should emerge from exile. Almost immediately, the docowas pulled from the recentSundanceFilm Festival, dropped byYouTube Red and will now most likely never be released for general consumption. If I hadnt known that, the timing of this films release would have seemed a bit too perfect. Spurlock's restaurant becomes a bold counterpoint to the industry, offering actual photos of his pale, sad-looking chickens, debunking slick food advertising on signs and offering explanations on the walls of how farmers are mistreated. Self: Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! Morris and his lawyers hoped Super Size Me 2 would do the same. 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. Spurlock has uncovered a lot about the food industry in his work as a filmmaker, but he was most surprised at how farmers like Buttram are being treated. It's about return for the consumers. The Original Grilled Crispy Chicken Sandwich TM (Regular or Spicy) Crunchy Greens ; L'il Cluckers Chicken Tenders ; The Holy Salad; Guests at the pop up will include Jonathan and Zack Buttram, two Alabama chicken farmers who appear in the film and who are currently blackballed by BIG CHICKEN from raising birds for any company. NEW YORK -- Last time out, documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock ate only fast food for a month. This popularity has led to huge profits for the poultry industry, but the farmers who are growing the chickens arent getting much of the rewards. Skip to primary content. They used the former as a movie prop resta. We follow him as he plans to open his own chicken-themed fast food franchise thats completely transparent about its ingredients and its intentions. So, back on the big screen, what is Morgan Spurlock part of now the problem, or the solution? Viewers watch as the filmmaker goes to Alabama to learn about raising chicks and follow the process all the way until he opens his own chicken restaurant in central Ohio, the nation's test-market capital. On the subject of his pop-up restaurant, Spurlock said he believes critics will be skeptical "until the minute you walk in the door and then you're like, Oh this is something very different. You know the fact that it is a place that tells you the truth from the minute you walk in., The restaurant, which has been years in the making, is the culmination of Spurlock's latest documentary, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken., Spurlock made it clear his goal was not to put big chicken out of business., Youre never gonna put big chicken out of business just like you never can put McDonald's out of business, Spurlock said. 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. 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. Assisting Spurlock is farmer Jonathan Buttram, who rents a building to Morganic Farms and, along with his son, helps tend to the chickens. But the problem is when the people backed out who were to release the movie it hurt the consumers but it hurt the poultry growers a lot worse. I worked for a year and a half to try and find a distributor. For example, Spurlock rightfully goes after the words being used to sell food to people. And it was in one of those moments where I had to. 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. 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. It was it was almost like a soul purge that happened. But for now, the way Morris sees it, Big Chicken dodged a major bullet. "At the end of the day I do want to give you spinach, but I want it to taste like cotton candy and the more cotton candy-flavoured spinach I can give you the more you're going to eat.". Great! Find Tickets. Morgan also brought along two farmers to the interview, Jonathan and Zack Buttram, who spoke of their devastating personal experiences, and how they were caught up in a . A Samuel L . This time taking on the poultry industry, or as he called it Big Chicken (Tyson, Perdue, Pilgrims, Koch Foods), Super Size Me 2 follows Spurlock as he shows audiences the dirty side of the multibillion-dollar industry by starting his own chicken sandwich franchise, called Holy Chicken!, and revealing all the tricks used to make us think that the chicken we get from the super market to a fast food chain is natural., From showing what really defines a "free range" chicken, to how some chains actually paint marks on cooked chicken breasts to make them look "grilled," to showing how chicken farmers are being short-changed by Big Chicken, the movie is as eye-opening about the food we eat as the first Super Size Me.. Its complex so there's no bite size way to describe it, Muraskin said of the plight of the chicken farmers. Its the last place anyone would expect to see the arch enemy of fast food. Holy Chicken tells its' customers how it is: In addition to the large, nutritious helpings of the deep crisped honesty, the Holy Chicken Pop-Upwill also be serving: Guests at the pop up will include Jonathan and Zack Buttram, two Alabama chicken farmers who appear in the film and who are currently blackballed by BIG CHICKEN from raising birds for any company. I would say things to someone that was my assistant that were, you know, sexually offensive. 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.. I am part of the problem, he wrote then. What hes done is instrumental in helping us.. Morgan Spurlock teamed up with Jonathan Buttram, a chicken farmer in Alabama, to learn about the modern poultry industry. The Original Grilled Crispy Chicken Sandwich TM (Regular or Spicy). The film has classic Spurlock touches, including zippy graphics and amusing music, blending a Michael Moore-ish camera-in-your-face style with his own sense of humour and pathos. Trailer 1:50. These companies punish farmers who complain about such ruthless practices as the tournament system . 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. 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 Chicken! Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! I mean, these are people that I put out of work a week before Christmas who had kids, who had families, who suddenly were like, What happened? he said. OPINION:#MeToo hasaffected audiences for Woody Allen's Wonder Wheel and Matt Damon's Downsizing, tainted movies like The Disaster Artist and Baby Driver and forced Ridley Scott into extreme measures byre-casting of Kevin Spacey withChristopher Plummer. This is part of the Stand With Farm Families campaign, where we've joined with Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI-USA) and other partners to create a petition urging the USDA to issue rules around fairness in the agriculture industry . Like the farmers in the movie, practically everyone involved was not told that Spurlock was going to release his confession and since have been left wondering if the movie will ever see the light of day. Jonathan Buttram. Learn more about contributing; Edit page. And what about Super Size Me 2? The documentary is in many ways collateral damage following Spurlocks confession, collecting dust on a shelf somewhere and no longer a tool for the people who needed it to be seen by audiences the most: the dozens of farmers who have brought lawsuits against Big Chicken. And she did it In four minutes. He and his family have been punished financially for revealing the industry's secrets to Spurlock. Always the showman, Spurlock came to TIFF with two of the farmers highlighted in the movie, one of whom was Jonathan Buttram. Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, 2017. The film was also dropped from Sundance in 2018 and Spurlock stepped away from his production . Spurlock was joined at the event by chicken farmer Jonathan Buttram, whose W.J. 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. I had 10 farmers come up to my house and we had a link to the movie and I showed it to them and everyone just loved it. During the process Spurlock fashioned his body into a toxic biohazard. At Spurlocks restaurant, truth is on the menu. 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. His dual role as filmmaker and restaurateur means that Super Size Me 2 does not just do the documentarians work of nudging audiences to eat their vegetables. 15 years later, Morgan Spurlock is trying his hand at chicken with a new movie called Super Size Me 2 -Holy Chicken. A news investigation discovered that Newark Bay was so contaminated that anything swimming in it was carcinogenic. SYNOPSIS: Morgan Spurlock explores whether the fast food industry . Spurlock brings his disarming humor to uncover the truths and lies behind this multibillion-dollar industry. The big company provides the chicks. "I think the intention is to kind of give you a different perspective of the fast-food world -- the fast-food commodity world -- from a much more corporate point of view," said Spurlock. When we finally get a look at the experience the Holy Chicken restaurant provides its customers, the response of the people who eat there is barely explored. The documentary dives into the challenges farmers like Buttram are facing in dealing with big . Theres also a "man on the street" interview showing how confused people actually are about these monikers. We are also proud to share that the overwhelming majority of the 25,000 farm families who partner with chicken companies are satisfied with their relationship. The biggest surprise about Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, a feature-length follow-up to Morgan Spurlock's hit 2004 fast-food documentary, is that it was ever released in the first place.. from 8 AM - 9 PM ET. Not only do "Big Chicken" (Tyson, Pilgrim's Pride, Sanderson Farms, Perdue Foods and Koch Foods) make other conglomerateslook extremely benevolent by comparison, but they also allegedly punish farmers who complain about their ruthless practices. Spurlock said it has been a long journey of making amends. -- a sober look at an industry that processes 9 billion animals a year in America. It's been 15 years since he ate only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet. Her placement of her chickens when I spoke out in Ohio.. The fast-food industry has undergone a makeover . 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. You know, green makes you think of natural, fresh vegetables, to the words that we use crispy being a perfect example. Morris learned about what Spurlock did and the eventual backing out by YouTube through his attorneys. Spurlock also opened up about sexual abuse during his childhood in the post. 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. I'm on day 640 something of being sober, being a better Dad, a better partner and that's all I can be.". 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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). If eliminated, as the National Chicken Council want in the interest of saving "consumers hundreds of millions of dollars", the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration rules' absence would mean farmers could not sue the companies for any "mistreatment". Proudly serving the most eaten animal on plant earth. For us it's about putting out a message of change and empowerment. . Contact: Rachel Krupa,Krupa Consulting [emailprotected]/ 212.226.2922, Cision Distribution 888-776-0942 Stephanie Ruhle is joined by a farmer who took action and sued the Trump administration, Jonathan Buttram, and "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!" filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock to discuss. Farmers and advocates visit USDA. will be making an appearance in New York later this month on 18 West 23rd Street. (CBS Local)--15 years after stuffing his face with McDonald's food for 30 straight days, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock is back with a brand new documentary. We have a forum, in the form of New Zealand's Documentary Edge Festival, to right the wrong poured on Morgan Spurlock's latest doco, seeminglyconsigned to the "unlikely if it'll ever get a release" bin. Farmer Jonathan Buttram serves as Spurlock's window into the chicken industry in the documentary. Some of this material is interesting, but most of us know that while chicken is seen as nutritious, fried chicken is another animal entirely. From the packaging to the walls, everything is decorated in trade secrets information that provides full disclosures on how fast food companies convince you that a junk food meal is somehow healthy. Super Size Me 2 Review: Beware That Healthy Chicken, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/movies/super-size-me-2-holy-chicken-review.html, Morgan Spurlock and his brood in Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!. Now, thanks to Spurlock's admissions and behaviour, hardly anyone else is likely to hear it and that's frustrating and disappointing. They're eating their own feces and these chickens have to have a place to sit down and rest. Its an in-your-face, postmodern fantasia of reds, greens and boldface messaging. And that's the thing that I've been fighting for the last 18 months: Jonathan and Zach, who literally put their life and work on the line to tell their story and be a part of this.. 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. The activist documentarian Morgan Spurlock blended Michael Moore-style showmanship with Gen X bro appeal in his 2004 debut feature Super Size Me, a relentless examination of the fast food industry. Spurlock said theres a dark side to big chicken, referring to the nations top chicken producers. ahead of its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Two years on, he said he's "in the process of continuing to heal and continuing to get better and make amends to the people that I need to. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? He doesnt bother me, so consider that a caveat. I know he's been a polarising figure at the best of times and it's hard to separate the man from his work, particularly in this case where is so integral to the movie (there's no chance of subbing in Christopher Plummer here), but it really does feel like the only winners in all of this are Big Chicken. When most of the US market is dominated by five poultry companies. Alabama chicken farmer Jonathan Buttram is one of many who missed out on some much-needed publicity for their plight by the demise of Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! how Big Chicken punishes a farmer who rents him a "grow out" house to start his enterprise, what maladies hit chickens forced to grow to many times the size they used to grow in a fraction of the time. . It would seem Spurlock stands to benefit, too. They get around all sorts of regulations in the exact same way . Farmer Jonathan Buttram serves as Spurlock's window into the . It can also work as a feature-length advertisement for his franchisable business, nudging audiences to eat his chicken. Its about numbers for the industry," Jonathan Buttram said. 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 . may never be released after the director's December self-revelations about a pattern of sexual harrasment. Morgan Spurlock teamed up with Jonathan Buttram, a chicken farmer in . 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. Jonathan tells his local TV station why he's suing USDA: "If we're being mistreated by the chicken company or packers we can't sue them. Spurlock said this reveal will help shatter illusions, making us savvier costumers, which is why transparency is the ultimate goal.

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