", First published on September 10, 2019 / 1:38 PM. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning), Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy, Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American. 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. Jonathan and Zach Buttram, a father and son farming duo, serve as Spurlocks window into the chicken industry in the documentary. Odie "Odienator" Henderson has spent over 33 years working in Information Technology. But on the walls and tables, there are messages about how the chickens, though more humanely raised, isn't really healthy and the paint colors and dcor can be manipulative. Spurlock said this reveal will help shatter illusions, making us savvier costumers, which is why transparency is the ultimate goal. By Marty Irby and Jonathan Buttram - - Wednesday, April 5, 2023 OPINION: In 2023, consumption of chicken in the United States has hit an all-time high, outpacing that of beef or pork. Two years later, Spurlock is looking for professional redemption. Charles Morris, a Kentucky based chicken farmer who is currently engaged in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Tyson Foods. But as the vet hired to do an onscreen autopsy tells us, this is normal and the birds are not harmful to eat.. Jonathan Buttram attends the "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!" premiere during the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival held at Ryerson Theatre on. A big reason was the title recognition he had. When I got the idea for this, I thought what would it look like to open my fast food restaurant.". "There has been this massive shift and people say to me, 'So has the food gotten healthier?' But its been his off-screen life choices that recently left his career (and Super Size Me 2, for a time) in limbo. A news investigation discovered that Newark Bay was so contaminated that anything swimming in it was carcinogenic. - The majority of chicken farmers today are thriving and helping to produce Americas #1 protein. This time, he's the one dishing out the fried stuff. 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. Its not really grilled since grilling fried chicken would overcook it. "These are guys who are indentured servants. For Spurlock, the truth telling hes done all these years in front of the camera is now matched behind it. The . September 10, 2019 / 1:38 PM Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! 'Super Size Me 2' Review: Beware That 'Healthy Chicken' I worked for a year and a half to try and find a distributor. Free-range, for example, just means that chickens are presented the option of going outdoors for some part of the day. Farmer Jonathan Buttram serves as Spurlock's window into the chicken industry in the documentary. Green equals good, as Spurlock discovers. Photo courtesy of RAFI-USA. Hot pants Again there was nothing physical to it, but itverbally crossed the line it was demeaning.. Such a suit would surely have the support of more consumers had Holy Chicken survived the backlash against Spurlock. What Does Monopsony Mean? Chicken Farms Offer an Answer - The Atlantic As a result of a proposition by Hardees to make an advertisement using his credibility and authenticity showcasing the supposed "healthiness" of its menu, he decided it was . 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! Morgan Spurlock on making a 'Super Size Me' sequel and why he's taking In six weeks, theyll be ready for the dinner plate, were told. Hes back on the food chain gang here, as the title Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken indicates. 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.. 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. You have to look no further than the impact of the first Super Size Me movie to confirm Butlers theory. Farmers and chickens are being mistreated, Buttram told The Washington Post. If Im going [to] truly represent myself as someone who has built a career on finding the truth, then its time for me to be truthful as well, Spurlock wrote. The contract farmer raises them into . Almost immediately, the docowas pulled from the recentSundanceFilm Festival, dropped byYouTube Red and will now most likely never be released for general consumption. We want to give you permission to laugh in the places where it's really hard to laugh," he said. Some of this material is interesting, but most of us know that while chicken is seen as nutritious, fried chicken is another animal entirely. But I am also part of the solution.. Speaking at the premiere, Buttram detailed the toll these draconian and punitive practices had on his fellow farmers. Buttram is the heart of "Super Size Me 2," a guy locked into a contract with Big Chicken who'll pay the price for helping the filmmakers. Spurlock teams up with an Alabama poultry farmer named Jonathan Buttram and his family to raise his own chickens after getting stonewalled by larger producers, and he has fun playing by the industrys standards. Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! It would seem Spurlock stands to benefit, too. The understanding of how food is produced, especially in these factory farms that the movie shows, I wanted the public to know about that because when the public knows about something and they see a wrong they try to right it, said J. Dudley Butler of Butler Farm & Ranch Law Group, lead attorney in the Morris case. The culture is still grappling with how and when men who have admitted or been accused of sexual wrongdoing should emerge from exile. It wasn't a journey that I thought I'd be on, Spurlock said. fast food restaurant comes to town. When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site . 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. The documentary dives into the challenges farmers like Buttram are facing in dealing with big corporations. 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We should be able to admit we were wrong.". 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. But I think the goal of Holy Chicken is how do you start to at least level the playing field? After all, when it comes to fast food, chicken is the latest rage. But when Spurlock sent out his confession, that hope to educate the public was lost. 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!' Review - The Hollywood Reporter People love these and other items despite knowing that theyre not good for them. 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. You need something like a movie to get people to engage and take a step back and get the full story.. The Holy Chicken restaurant pop-up also draws back the curtain to show how the fast food industry works and how key words, colors, signs, photos are used to make us feel better about what we're eating. You as a consumer need to understand you have the power to make a difference through the choices you make. These companies punish farmers who complain about such ruthless practices as the tournament system . Anyone can read what you share. He wants to see if the site would be interested in selling the movie to him. "We're at an amazing moment in history from a consumer standpoint where consumers are starting to have more and more power," he said. ET on ABC. 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". Skip to primary content. leaves locals concerned. 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!' Morgan Spurlock's Ironic Expos of Theres also a "man on the street" interview showing how confused people actually are about these monikers. More to explore. I was lucky enough to seeHoly Chicken! He warns consumers may have to pay a little bit more to support independent farmers and chains that pay a living wage. Because, legally speaking, they dont mean much.. Directed by Morgan Spurlock. 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 been 15 years since he ate only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet. 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). Spurlock discovered they could in his sequel Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! On Demand opening on September 13th. Last month, our Farmer Leadership Fund supported travel costs for family farmers to visit Washington, DC and make sure their voices were heard. Morgan Spurlock raises his have toddler chicks in "Tremendous Sizing Me two: Holy Chicken!" Samuel Goldwyn. ", "The biggest thing that was most surprising is how badly farmers get treated," said Spurlock. But that hasnt stopped Morris from single-handedly trying to get the movie out to the public. But nutritionally not much has changed. #MeToo: The most surprising casualty? America's chicken farmers We all are. MARSHALL COUNTY, AL (WAFF) - A Marshall County chicken farmer is part of a lawsuit filed against the USDA. Again, my mind wandered to a news item I saw years ago about my hometown of Jersey City, New Jersey. The farmers are not being treated well at all and the animals are being treated horribly in those large factory farms.. Contact: Rachel Krupa,Krupa Consulting [emailprotected]/ 212.226.2922, Cision Distribution 888-776-0942 Holy Chicken, both the film and the franchise, aim to debunk the chicken industrys corporate mythology, breaking down what Spurlock says are misleading phrases like natural, artisan and free range., Spurlock said there are places that do actually raise chickens in the free-range environment people imagine: There are places where the chickens do actually get to go outside, but they're so few and far between of what is truly representative of the industry it's crazy.. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. 'Super Size Me 2' reveals some unsavory truths about the chicken industry Hes serious but still winking at you. Food is an experience, says Darby Hughes, one of the strategist talking heads interviewed on camera. Spurlocks sandwich is coming on the heels of one of the biggest feuds this summer: Popeyes new chicken sandwich versus Chick-fil-As classic chicken sandwich. And, you know, I got sober 640-plus days ago and it's been the greatest thing. What happened to Morgan Spurlock Holy chicken? - Promisekit.org 15 years later, Morgan Spurlock is trying his hand at chicken with a new movie called Super Size Me 2 -Holy Chicken. "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. 'Super Size Me' Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock Wants to Reinvent - Eater Its unclear if the numerous upcoming projects Spurlock and Warrior Poets was involved in ranging from a docuseries with LeBron James to a biopic on legendary Hollywood agent Sue Mengers will come to fruition. 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. Buttram provided Spurlock with the chickens for his Holy Chicken! Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 32 terms. He also admitted to cheating on numerous partners. No, said the guy. (Photo by Ben Hider/Invision/AP, File). Still, my mind wandered to George Carlin who, decades before, had a magnificent routine about this exact thing. For example, Spurlock rightfully goes after the words being used to sell food to people. 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. "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! Movie Review - Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! (2017) - Flickering Myth Menu. 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. 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! When most of the US market is dominated by five poultry companies. 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. We follow him as he plans to open his own chicken-themed fast food franchise thats completely transparent about its ingredients and its intentions. "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!" Im hopeful that people dont try and penalize [the farmers] and the message were trying to put out based on some things that I said a few years ago, Spurlock told The Post. Its about numbers for the industry," Jonathan Buttram said. While a massive setback, it doesn't seem to have deterred Buttram and others. 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!' review: Morgan Spurlock's sequel will Samuel Goldwyn. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Morgan Spurlock's Holy Chicken Restaurant Hits New York City - Opening Documentary Review Morgan Spurlock gets after Big Chicken with "Super chicken sandwich "chain." He also brought a Holy Chicken ! 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. We hope that for the sake of the brave farmers and their families, this film can still find a distributor.. Marshall County chicken farmer plaintiff in federal lawsuit against USDA Its the last place anyone would expect to see the arch enemy of fast food. 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 . They get around all sorts of regulations in the exact same way . And it was in one of those moments where I had to. He eventually also lost his production company, Warrior Poets. 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. Jonathan Buttram - IMDb Sept. 5, 2019. I'm excited to see who this filmmaker is now that [he's come] out of this process versus the one that was there before, he said. Jonathan Buttram | Jack Shalom Despite sexual misconduct confession, Morgan Spurlock's - CTVNews Its also an exercise in radical transparency in the fast-food industry. Spurlock said his team never got the $3.5 million. . . Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnairehere. super size me 2 rough draft.docx - Last Name 1 Name Hes bailed out by the largest independent hatchery, who supplies him with over 2,000 broilers, the most popular chickens on Earth., These chickens are bred to grow faster and bigger than their feathers will cover them at some points in their development. Spurlock also opened up about sexual abuse during his childhood in the post. 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. 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. 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. Buttram provided Spurlock with the chickens for his Holy Chicken . 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. Her placement of her chickens when I spoke out in Ohio.. This article was published more than3 years ago. I hate to see that. Im happy that Im being able to get the word out and let people know whats happening to the farmers and the animals -- the chickens out there, he said. But it's also one of those moments as a manic depressive, you don't think about the results of your actions in those moments. More than just savvier customers are at stake: Many chicken farmers who feel abused by the current system are hoping Spurlock can make a viable business that can employ independent growers. Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! - Common Sense Media I take calls, as matter of fact, two calls in the last couple of weeks of farmers, [saying] I'm at the end of my rope. That means suicide. This stunt pays off more purposefully than the movie initially gives us reason to hope for. 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.. Days later, YouTube announced it would not release Super Size Me 2 and Spurlock stepped down as head of his production company, Warrior Poets. 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. Suggest an edit or add missing content. I wanted to be able to breathe in the moments of levity. "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. Beyond that, theres a nagging aura of meh encircling the proceedings. 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. July 15-17, 2019: Nationwide Group of Family Farmers to Expose Abuse in It was it was almost like a soul purge that happened. SYNOPSIS: Morgan Spurlock explores whether the fast food industry . 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!.