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It was the documentary “Super Size Me” that opened my eyes to the power of documentary filmmaking. Until then, the only docs I watched were the boring ones in school. But “Super Size Me” was different – it was entertaining, funny, and – most importantly – incredibly revealing about a topic I was really interested in while in high school… you guessed it, fast food. To this day, I love a great doc that is as entertaining as it is informative. If you’re the same, and looking for an affordable streaming service that will give you access to those kinds of documentaries, look no further than Dox — a streaming service dedicated to all things documentary.

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While many retrospective looks at cinematic years past find plenty dividing the current state of movies from all that came before, 2004, in many ways, still feels representative of our idea of the modern film industry. Superheroes, sequels, and superhero sequels dominated the box office, while the award shows favored an...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook on Twitter and Instagram.NEWSNorma Rae.The Academy Foundation Workers Union has approved its first contract, including structured raises, extended leave time, increased job security, and other benefits.Just weeks after the conclusion of the festival, Hot Docs has announced it will lay off staff and temporarily shutter its year-round cinema in Toronto.The Hollywood Commission, chaired by Anita Hill, has introduced an online tool to report workplace abuse in the American motion-picture industry.The organizing wave in New York cinemas continues as the Cinema Village union becomes official. In PRODUCTIONIn his signature direct-oblique style, David Lynch is teasing “something…for you to see and hear,” which “will be coming along” on June 5.REMEMBERINGSuper Size Me.Morgan Spurlock has died at 53. The filmmaker followed his debut feature,...

Johnny Wactor, an actor best known for appearing in General Hospital, died early Saturday morning. He was 37.

Wactor’s mother confirmed the news of his death to TMZ, saying he was shot and killed in Los Angeles during an alleged attempted robbery near Wactor’s car. TVLine has reached out to Wactor’s representatives for comment.

More from TVLineSusan Lucci Says The Golden Bachelorette Approached Her to Star, But 'It Wasn't for Me'Morgan Spurlock, Super Size Me Filmmaker and CNN Vet, Dead at 53Grey's Anatomy Recap: [Spoiler] Is Fired - and as One Couple Breaks Up, Another One Hits the Sheets...

Many people might not be familiar with the name Morgan Spurlock but in the early 2000s, Spurlock was the talk of the town. Being a documentary filmmaker and television producer, Spurlock received several accolades throughout his career. His greatest feat, however, was creating the iconic documentary Super Size Me.

Morgan Spurlock in a still from Super Size Me | The Con

Since it was the early 2000s, people hadn’t really given importance to the unhealthiness of fast food or junk food. Being a visionary person, Morgan Spurlock decided to jump on that opportunity and created the 2004 film Super Size Me. His body had some great side effects and Spurlock revealed that his body lost resilience after some time!

Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me Cost Him Greatly

For those of you who do not know what Super Size Me is, it’s a 2004 documentary film where Morgan Spurlock eats food from McDonald’s for 30 days straight.

Morgan Spurlock who was known for his quirky documentaries, died this Thursday from complications of cancer. In 2004, he created a gem with Super Size Me, in this documentary, Spurlock conducted an experiment to uncover the truth about the effects of junk food, particularly McDonald’s, on the human body. The film, released in 2004, was a great success and resonated with people, leading to a drop in McDonald’s sales.

Morgan Spurlock in Super Size Me | The Con, Samuel Goldwyn Films

What was impressive is that its impact was visible in real-time, shedding light on how this film connected with the audiences. However, despite the documentary’s success, this social experiment completely ruined Spurlock’s body and mind.

How Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me Change the World One Burger At a Time!

Morgan Spurlock‘s groundbreaking documentary shook things up twenty years ago by him committing to a month of nothing but McDonald’s meals,...

The death of film-maker Morgan Spurlock leaves behind a documentary that pointed fingers at McDonalds with them later pointing at him as well

Super Size Me was a terrific cheeky stunt – small wonder Morgan Spurlock never matched itSuper Size Me director Morgan Spurlock dies aged 53

When a person shuffles off their mortal coil, they count themselves lucky to have some quantifiable or tangible expression of their legacy – an accomplishment more expansively influential than raising a single child or creating a body of work. In the case of documentarian Morgan Spurlock, who died this week from cancer-related health complications, it would not be exaggeration to claim that he singlehandedly killed the super-sized meal at McDonald’s.

Cashiers at America’s favorite fast-food chain stopped offering customers mega portions for mini charges six weeks after the Sundance film festival premiere of Spurlock’s 2004 exposé Super Size Me, which added an epilogue title card...

Acclaimed filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, best known for his documentary Super Size Me, died on May 23 in New York City at the age of 53 from cancer complications.

Spurlock’s family announced his death with his brother Craig’s statement, “It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan. Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”

Spurlock’s 2004 film Super Size Me catapulted him to critical acclaim and earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature. In the documentary, Spurlock challenged himself to eat only meals from McDonald’s for an entire month to shed light on the fast food industry’s impact on health and wellness. The film’s provocative and insightful approach made it a landmark in the genre.

Beyond Super Size Me,...

Documentarians Brett Morgen and Alex Gibney paid tribute to “Super Size Me” filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, who died at 53 on Thursday of complications from cancer.

Morgen — whose films include “The Kid Stays in the Picture,” about legendary producer Robert Evans; “Jane,” about celebrated anthropologist Jane Goodall; and “Moonage Daydream,” about David Bowie — wrote that the Oscar-nominated Spurlock “actually changed the world with his art.”

He was referring to the 2004 film “Super Size Me,” in which Spurlock ate only at McDonald’s for 30 days. After the Oscar-nominated movie’s release and gargantuan success, the fast food chain discontinued its “super size” promotional campaign.

“Morgan Spurlock achieved what most artists only dream: he actually changed the world with his art. He was an amazing father, brother, friend and one of the most important and influential filmmakers of my time. My heart breaks for his family and friends,” Morgen wrote on social media.

“Going Clear” director Alex Gibney tweeted,...

The entertainment industry is mourning documentarian Morgan Spurlock.

Spurlock, best known for his Academy Award-nominated documentary Super Size Me, in which he consumed fast food for 30 days to highlight its dangers, died on Thursday at the age of 53 from cancer.

“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” his brother Craig Spurlock said in a family statement. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas and generosity. Today the world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”

After the news broke of Spurlock’s death, The Simpsons writer and executive producer Al Jean tweeted, “V v v sad to learn of the passing of Morgan Spurlock. A very talented, funny and brilliant man and a true friend to The Simpsons. A great loss.”

And Alex Gibney remarked simply, “Devastated to hear of...

Morgan Spurlock (right) with Michael Moore and Jon Alpert Photo: Anne Katrin Titze

Morgan Spurlock, the documentarian behind Super Size me and Freakonomics, has died at the age of 53, his family revealed today.

"Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity," said his brother and sometime artistic collaborator, Craig Spurlock. "The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him."

Best known for attempting to live for a month on only Macdonalds super size meals, Spurlock went on to make films including Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope and boy band profile One Direction: This Is Us. His career faltered after he confessed to sexual harassment at the height of the #MeToo movement, a choice which he said had been intended to emphasise the need for soul-searching and...

When Morgan Spurlock, who died May 23 from complications of cancer at age 53, first entered the documentary space in 2004 with “Super Size Me,” he managed to turn the film’s success into a career. A career that was not only prolific, but also lucrative — a rarity, to this day, in the field.

The secret to Spurlock’s success? He was not only a talented filmmaker, but also a brilliant businessman.

Just 11 months after the Sundance premiere of “Super Size Me,” Spurlock partnered with FX on the docuseries “30 Days,” which chronicled the journey of an individual situated in an environment antithetical to his background. The first season of the series began airing in 2005 and included episodes about a Christian living as a Muslim and a conservative heterosexual living with a gay man. In total, FX chairman John Landgraf ordered three seasons of “30 Days,” which was executive produced by Ben Silverman and R.J. Cutler.

Michael Spurlock has a penchant for coming out with movies that have provoked the minds of people around the globe. The Super Size Me franchise is an instance of how he’s not afraid of blowing off the lid from topics that not many want to talk about. His demise this Thursday will mark an end to his illustrious run. But looking back at one of his ventures, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken, the movie lost out on something big, because of one reason.

Morgan Spurlock passed away at the age of 53

Morgan Spurlock died of cancer complications

Morgan Spurlock had been suffering from cancer for the past few years of his life, with his friends and family by his side. And on 23rd May, he breathed his last. His family brought the news to light that he had passed away due to the complications arising out of cancer.

In an era before social media, his wacky but issue-based fast-food documentary made a real impact on how the world eats

Super Size Me director Morgan Spurlock dies aged 53

Twenty years ago, no one was a bigger beneficiary of the Michael Moore documentary boom than gonzo doc comic Morgan Spurlock who royally punk’d the McDonald’s corporate giant with his uproarious 2004 film Super Size Me. It was a piece of cheek that took advantage of the anti-corporate, anti-fast-food feeling that had been growing, especially in this country since the McLibel trial.

He embarrassed the McDonald’s organisation and single-handedly pressured them into withdrawing their mega-portion policies and even into offering unconvincing “healthy” options. He forced it to eat a triple Mac of shame with a side order of contrition. And it was happening in a pre-social-media age when this kind of proto-viral populist uprising was very difficult to create.

Morgan Spurlock, known for his impactful documentaries, has passed away at 53 after complications from cancer. His work often stirred online debates due to its focus on social issues and divisive topics. Spurlock's family confirmed his peaceful passing in New York, praising him as a creative genius.

Morgan Spurlock, best known for his groundbreaking documentary work on Super Size Me, has died at the age of 53 following complications with cancer. The influential filmmakers body of work tended to focus on social issues, and often became the subject of heated online discussions due to their often divisive subject matter.

In a family statement released on Friday, it was revealed that Spurlock passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends on May 23, 2024, in New York from complications of cancer. Additionally, his brother, Craig, said:

It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan. Morgan gave so much through his art,...

Sad news has hit the drive-thru line of Hollywood as we learn about the untimely passing of Morgan Spurlock, the Oscar-nominated director of the eye-opening documentary Super Size Me. According to his family, Spurlock passed away at 53 after losing a private battle with cancer.

In a statement to the press, Spurlock’s family said the risk-taking filmmaker “passed away peacefully in New York surrounded by family and friends” on Thursday. Spurlock was undergoing chemotherapy treatments earlier this year, though the cancer proved too much in the end.

“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” said Craig Spurlock, one of the filmmaker’s older brothers. The sibling duo joined forces on several documentary projects, including Morgan Spurlock Inside Man and 7 Deadly Sins. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man.

Morgan Spurlock, best known for the 2004 documentary Super Size Me, has died following a private battle with cancer, Deadline reports. He was 53 years old.

Spurlock directed and starred in the aforementioned Super Size Me, which followed the filmmaker over a 30-day period in which he only consumed McDonald’s food and charted the drastic changes in his physical and psychological health. The film earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature.

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His filmography...

“Super Size Me” director Morgan Spurlock is dead at the age of 53 following a battle with cancer, according to a family statement provided to Deadline.

The Academy Award nominee “passed away peacefully in New York surrounded by family and friends,” the statement read. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity,” his brother Craig Spurlock is quoted as saying.

Spurlock shot to fame with this 2004 documentary “Super Size Me,” which took a personality-driven approach to examining the way that corporate America incentivizes unhealthy eating as epitomized by McDonald’s then-promotion to “super size” portion sizes for french fries and soft drinks. Following in the wake of Michael Moore, Spurlock adopted a style of putting himself on camera as the host leading his viewers through an exploration of the subject. It was a stunt as well: For the documentary, he engaged in eating only McDonald’s food for 30 days.

That...

Morgan Spurlock, the independent filmmaker who playfully critiqued consumerism and capitalism in documentaries like Super Size Me and The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, has died at the age of 53.

Spurlock’s family confirmed the director’s death, adding that Spurlock died Thursday surrounded by friends and family in New York. The cause of death was complications from cancer.

“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” his brother and frequent collaborator Craig Spurlock said in a statement. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas,...

Documentarian Morgan Spurlock has died. The award-winning filmmaker known for his 2004 documentary Super Size Me was 53 years old. Spurlock died at home surrounded by family and friends on May 23, 2024, in New York, from complications of cancer. “It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” Craig Spurlock shared in a public statement. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.” Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? (©Weinstein Company/courtesy Everett Collection) Spurlock received critical acclaim for his 2004 documentary Super Size Me, for which he was nominated for an Oscar. The film changed the way America looked at fast food and is still used in middle and high school health classes as a teaching tool. In Super Size Me, Spurlock changed his own diet,...

Morgan Spurlock, the Academy Award-nominated documentarian, has died at the age of 53 due to complications from cancer.

Spurlock is perhaps best known for his 2004 film Super Size Me in which he consumed only McDonald’s food for a period of 30 days. The documentary was nominated for an Oscar and won Best Documentary Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America. It also grossed more than $20 million at the box office, making it one of the most commercially successful documentaries of all time.

Spurlock initially began his career as a playwright after attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Prior to helming Super Size Me in 2004, he created the dare show I Bet You Will, which initially began as a webseries and was then picked up by MTV.

The success of Super Size Me led Spurlock to become of the Hollywood’s most in-demand documentarians. In the years that followed,...

Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, best known for his work on documentaries including Super Size Me, has died. The Oscar nominee's family confirmed his death in a statement following Spurlock's death on Thursday due to complications from cancer. He was 53 years old.

It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan, the filmmaker's brother, Craig Spurlock, said in the statement, per Variety. Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas and generosity. Today the world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.

Spurlock was born on Nov. 7, 1970, and graduated with a Bfa in film from New York University in 1993. He rose to fame as a filmmaker as the director of the 2004 documentary Super Size Me, which shined a spotlight on the healthiness of fast food from McDonald's. According to the doc, Spurlock only ate food...

Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, whose first feature film was the Oscar-nominated Super Size Me that shifted public perceptions of junk food, especially the McDonald’s chain, died Thursday in upstate New York from complications of cancer. He was 53.

“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” his brother Craig Spurlock said in a family statement. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas and generosity. Today the world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”

The family said Spurlock passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends.

Spurlock, a native West Virginian, graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts to pursue his dream of making movies. After working primarily in TV, he released Super Size Me in 2004, which featured Spurlock eating only McDonald’s for 30 days. Soon after he shot his film,...

US documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock has died at the age of 53.

The director, best known for his Oscar-nominated film Super Size Me, died from complications with cancer on May 23, his family said in a statement.

Spurlock began his career as a playwright before rising to international prominence with his fast food documentary Super Size Me, about McDonalds, which premiered at Sundance in 2004 and garnered several accolades including best documentary screenplay from the Writers Guild of America.

His other documentaries include Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?; The Greatest Movie Ever Sold; and Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!...

Spurlock won acclaim for a series of issue-based documentaries and TV shows, and made a 3D film about boyband One Direction

• Super Size Me was a terrific cheeky stunt – small wonder Morgan Spurlock never matched it

Documentary-maker Morgan Spurlock, the director of films including Super Size Me and Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden? died on Thursday aged 53.

His family announced in a statement that he “passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends in New York from complications of cancer.”...

Morgan Spurlock, a documentary filmmaker who captured his own psychological and physical symptoms from eating McDonald’s every day for a month in the Oscar-nominated 2004 feature “Super Size Me,” died Thursday in upstate New York due to complications of cancer. He was 53.

Spurlock’s family confirmed his death.

“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” says Craig Spurlock, who worked with his brother on several projects. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas and generosity. Today the world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”

Spurlock rose to prominence for “Super Size Me,” in which he conducted an experiment involving consuming only food from McDonald’s for a 30-day stretch. The rules also included the stipulation that Spurlock could not refuse the “super-size” option if prompted during the transaction. The filmmaker...

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, director of the groundbreaking documentary Super Size Me, has died after a private battle with cancer. He was 53.

Spurlock “passed away peacefully in New York surrounded by family and friends” on Thursday, according to a family statement that noted the cause was complications of cancer. Deadline understands he had been undergoing chemotherapy treatment earlier this year.

“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” said Craig Spurlock, one of the filmmaker’s older brothers. They collaborated on several documentary projects, including Morgan Spurlock Inside Man and 7 Deadly Sins. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”

For his breakthrough film, Super Size Me, which premiered 20 years ago at the Sundance Film Festival, Spurlock voluntarily ate nothing...

With a subject as complex as monitoring the effects of smartphone use, Alex Lykos’s film could have paid more attention to sourcing and methodology

It’s digital detox time for film-maker Alex Lykos, as he attempts to go cold turkey on his phone and other devices for 30 days for this documentary belonging to the lower-budget end of the sub-genre of personal challenge films; previous entries include the likes of Super Size Me (man eats lots of fast food) and America Unchained (man tries to travel across America without giving any money to multinationals).

Lykos begins his offline odyssey with a fun potted history of the mobile phone, starting with a 1973 model which is heavier than a four-pint carton of milk. (This comparison is illustrated by Lykos walking along holding said carton of milk to his ear.) The film is strongest in these lighter sections which lean into Lykos’ naturally upbeat high-school science teacher vibe.

Screen Rant's list of five-star films covers a diverse range of genres, offering some of the best movies of the last few decades. The documentaries featured on the list tackle important and pressing issues, providing a real-life touch to the film industry. Each film on the list has its own merits and stands out in its own way, showcasing impressive storytelling, performances, and unique perspectives.

When it comes to movies, the quality ranges, but Screen Rant has more than its fair share of five-star films. From mystery thrillers and dramas, to action comedies and animated features, the list offers a diversity of films that cover just about every genre. Receiving a five-star rating is rare, and though opinions may vary on which film on this list is better than the other, this ranking is a gateway to some of the best films of the last few decades.

With so many films having been reviewed,...

Documentaries have the remarkable ability to open our eyes to the world’s realities, challenge our preconceived notions, and transform our perspectives. In an age where information inundates our lives from various sources, these cinematic works offer a unique and intimate platform to engage with issues that matter.

Related: 7 Best Mind-Expanding Documentaries

Over the years, certain documentaries have left an indelible mark, altering the course of public perception and, in some cases, even driving real-world change. This article delves into ten must-watch documentaries that have wielded the power of truth to reshape the way we view the world around us.

“Blackfish” (2013)

A Deep Dive into Captive Marine Life

This documentary hit me like a tidal wave. “Blackfish” pulled back the curtain on how marine animals are treated in captivity, specifically focusing on orcas at SeaWorld. It’s not all fun and games; the film peeled away the glossy exterior to...

YouTube offers an extensive library of free movies, making it an ideal option for those looking to supplement or replace their paid subscriptions. Viewers can access over 1,500 movies from different genres and time periods on YouTube, but may need to sift through films to find the best ones. Some of the best free movies on YouTube include "Crazy Stupid Love," "Finding Neverland," "Dances with Wolves," "Face/Off," and "Super Size Me."

YouTube is primarily used for short video content, but it also offers an extensive library of movies, many of which are available to stream for free. Unlike the old days of YouTube where users would pirate and upload films, these movies come straight from YouTube's own Movies & TV tab. In contrast with other streaming options, viewers can access free films on YouTube for free, making the platform an ideal option for those looking to supplement or replace their paid subscriptions...

The 2023 Sundance Film Festival Asia officially opened at the Spot Huashan Cinema in Taipei City on August 18, 2023, and announced the winner of the Sundance Film Festival Asia Short Film Competition. The award went to “Tuo Tuo” directed by An Chu. Many Hollywood and local celebrities walked the red carpet including Justin Lin (Director of the “Fast and Furious” franchise), Todd Makurath (Executive Producer of “Everything Everywhere All At Once”), Joachim Zell (Color Scientist from “Blade Runner 2049”), Dan Lin (Producer of “The Lego Movie”), Tzi Ma (Actor from “Rush Hour” series), Caitlin Fang (Actress from “American Girl”), Patty Lee (Actress from “My Missing Valentine”), Ke-Xi Wu (Actress from “Nina Wu”), Allison Lin (Actress from “Haru”), Teresa Daley (Actress from “Days We Stared at the Sun”), Sonia Yuan (Actress from “Summer Desire”), Angela Yuen (Actress from “The Narrow Road”), James Wen (Actor from “The Fierce Wife”), Janet Hsieh (Host from “Fun...

Jurassic Park was nothing short of a phenomenon when it arrived in cinemas back in June 1993. Like Robert Muldoon being pursued by a pack of velociraptors, there was simply no escaping the clutches of what was a cultural phenomenon. But while much of the focus was on Steven Spielberg’s movie and its heady mix of stunning special effects and a shirtless Jeff Goldblum, what helped give Jurassic Park that extra bit of bite at the box office was the astonishing amount of merchandising surrounding the film.

Jurassic Park was ubiquitous that summer, whether it was the iconic Kenner line of toys featuring familiar characters from the film apart from Lex (blame Jurassic patriarchy), the Sega Genesis game that let you play as a raptor chomping on foolish humans, or the bizarre line of salami and beef jerky products that hit store shelves, life found a way.

Yet by far...

Stacey Offman, Jigsaw Production’s exec VP of development and production, is exiting the company to work as an independent producer, Variety has confirmed. Longtime Jigsaw producer Erin Edeiken to serve as head of production for Alex Gibney’s shingle going forward.

Offman, who is exiting on May 19, joined Jigsaw Productions in 2012. In her 11-year tenure at the documentary production company, Offman was part of the team that launched Jigsaw’s television branch as well as the creation of a vertical of non-fiction series and documentaries for an array of studios and broadcast partners.

Offman’s recent projects include Jigsaw’s “Dirty Money,” a six-part investigative series which exposed corruption and financial malfeasance in some of the most influential companies and industries. The series began streaming on Netflix in January 2018. In addition, Offman developed “Salt, Fat, Acid Heat,” a 2018 four-part Netflix culinary travel series based on Samin Nosrat’s book by the same name,...

This month’s installment of Deep Cuts Rising features a variety of horror movies, with each one reflecting a special event or day in May.

Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.

This month’s offerings include a tense battle between mothers, a tale of evil in the suburbs, a fast-food slasher, a twisty wartime horror story, and an indie slow burn with a Hitchcockian vibe.

You’ll Like My Mother (1972)

Directed by Lamont Johnson.

The movie stars Oscar winner Patty Duke as young widow Francesca, who’s visiting her late husband’s mother (Rosemary Murphy) for the first time at a remote house in snowy Minnesota. Soon things take a turn when Francesca becomes not only stranded at her in-law’s house, but also drugged and taken prisoner.

Just in time for Mother...

Of all the unofficial holidays derived from an apocryphal bit police code, 4/20 is by far the most enduring. And just as “420” has gradually become entrenched as stoner shorthand for marijuana, the date April 20 has become an opportunity not just for college kids looking to indulge in a little extralegal fun, but also for drug law reformers and other advocacy groups to stump for a more reasonable national attitude toward America’s big green weed of choice.

And as marijuana laws have shifted over the years—from outright prohibition, to limited medicinal usage, to tightly regulated recreational use within certain states—marijuana themed movies have likewise evolved. Once upon a time, the only movies that even touched the subject of pot were hysterical propaganda pieces like Reefer Madness. Then, from the 1960s onward, weed became a popular (and hip) subject of broad comedy—in everything from Animal House to Annie Hall to Friday.

Hulu will become the new post-theatrical pay one window for Roadside Attractions over the next couple of years. Under the terms of the deal, Hulu gets the exclusive U.S. streaming rights to upcoming Roadside Attractions films like “Call Jane” and “Gigi & Nate.”

Hulu, currently owned two-thirds by Disney and one-third by Comcast, has been a great friend to arthouse cinema and independent film. The streaming platform’s pre-existing output deals with Neon, IFC, and Magnolia, as well as its in-house relationship with Searchlight, keeps the distributors in business. The only other major entity with similar deals is Showtime, which carries A24 and Bleecker Street.

Find out much more about the “in flux” economics of such streaming indie-film distribution deals here from IndieWire’s Eric Kohn. Disney, by the way, is contractually obligated to buy out Comcast’s stake in Hulu in January 2024; the minimum valuation for the profitable streaming service (still a rarity!

Voting has only just begun for select nominees at the 2022 WGA Awards. Drama series, comedy series and new series votes will be taken until Jan. 5, while voting doesn’t even open for original and adapted screenplays until Jan. 12 (with a deadline of Jan. 26). Nominations for the television categories, as well as new media, news, radio/audio and promotional writing awards will be announced on Jan. 13, with screenplay nominations announced Jan. 27. Final voting for all takes place between Feb. 2 and Feb. 16, with the winners being announced at the 74th annual ceremony on March 20.

Although it is still very early days for some of these categories, Variety breaks down where select series, scripts and categories stand so far.

Original Screenplay

The contenders in the original screenplay field are dominated by repeat WGA and Academy Award nominees with a few breakthrough tyro scribes in the mix. “King Richard,” penned by Zach Baylin (who...

Photo: ‘Speak’/Showtime Spoiler Alert – This article spills the hidden greatness within ‘Speak;’ watch the film or spoil all of the good stuff by continuing to read. Trigger Warning - ‘Speak’ contains short clips of sexual assault, rape, and similar acts that some might find triggering. If you are a victim of sexual assault, please contact the resources below. You are not alone. 1 In 6 Women Are The Victim Of An Attempted or Completed Rape There are films the educational system requires students to watch like 2004’s ‘Super Size Me’ of a man who gains weight by eating McDonald’s every day; however, I wonder why was ‘Speak,’ a film so closely related to the true events that occur within every school never shown in class? My darkest fear is telling me it is because the system knows they are at fault, so why show a film to students that directly goes against the faulty system?...

Most of us remember what happened to Morgan Spurlock when he decided to go on an all-McDonald's diet back in the 2004 documentary Super Size Me. Things turned out pretty horribly for his health and body, though it did ignite Spurlock's filmmaking career. So what if someone did the same thing with an all-sushi diet? Would they be able to lose weight as opposed to gain it? That's what one Los Angeles teacher sets out to do in the new documentary short Sushi Size Me.

Meet Leo Sanders. Like many men quickly approaching middle age, he's put on a few pounds and would love to slim down. But his busy work schedule has kept him from devoting the needed time and energy to getting back in shape. So he has concocted a get skinny quick scheme that sees him munching on seaweed and rice for 30 days straight. Will that do the trick?...

Twelve years after Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock’s first self-experimental delve into the fast food industry, the junk grub shunting documentarian returns with a not too hotly anticipated follow-up, but one that’s as surprisingly fun and enlightening as its predecessor. Instead of blitzing his body with McDonald’s for a month, Spurlock sets out to open his first fast food/ “fried” chicken restaurant; a shrewd marketing move considering the sequel and outlet will promote each other, but as a central concept, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! lacks the lightbulb moment/ car-crash sales point compared to the original’s “what would happen if someone were to eat nothing but McDonald’s for a month?”. Yet Spurlock’s frontman charisma, film craft savvy and doc content make SSM2 as entertaining, edifying and educative as the original.

Spurlock relays his objective, aspirations and inspiration during the set-up then conducts market research by conversing with the public,...

In January, work and life partners Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff went to war.

Their 15-year-old film distribution and production company, Roadside Attractions, engaged in heated rounds of bidding for four titles playing at the Sundance Film Festival — the Cinderella story “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” the Mindy Kaling comedy “Late Night,” the political documentary “Knock Down the House” and the Ted Bundy biopic “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.”

They lost. They were outbid by what Cohen and d’Arbeloff estimate was as much as six times what they offered sales agents for the chance to roll out the movies to American audiences. Amazon Studios snapped up “Brittany” and “Late Night” for a combined $27 million. Netflix acquired “Extremely Wicked” and “Knock Down the House” for nearly $20 million.

“All four of those movies went to streamers, and arguably all four might have been better served by us,” says Cohen, reflecting...

Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock explored the unhealthy aspects of solely eating McDonald’s for one month in Super Size Me, and with Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken he continues his exploration of the fast food industry.

This time out Spurlock takes on the seemingly impenetrable business of “Big Chicken.” In the documentary we witness Spurlock attempt to [...]

The post Morgan Spurlock Explores “Big Chicken” Business With ‘Super Size Me 2’ appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

When Super Size Me drew an Oscar nom and blew a lid off of how fast food franchises were fattening America, Morgan Spurlock became that rare celebrity documentary filmmaker, as identifiable in his first-person films as Michael Moore is in his. Spurlock got there by eating so much fast food that his skin greyed, his waistline bloated and his organs seemed on the verge of failing. For Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, Spurlock takes on the guise of a chicken grower to illustrate lies that make consumers believe they are eating healthy when they aren’t, and exposes how the major poultry food manufacturers exploit the chicken farmers who take their eggs containing birds especially bred to grow so large, so quickly that it becomes a race to get them on supermarket shelves before their hearts explode and bones break because the birds simply cannot support their own weight.

Nearly two years after documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock published a #MeToo mea culpa on Twitter that derailed his career and shuttered his 65-employee production company, he’s back this month with the release of his previously shelved sequel to “Super Size Me” and the launch of a pop-up chicken restaurant in New York City.

In an interview with Business Insider published on Thursday, Spurlock said he thought his Twitter confession in December 2017 showed the need for people implicated by #MeToo to “own up to their past and confidently move forward.”

In that much publicized confession, the filmmaker best known for “Super Size Me,” his seminal McDonald’s experiment, admitted to sexually harassing a female assistant of his and being unfaithful to every one of his romantic partners. He also described being accused of rape in college. “I am part of the problem,” he said.

Also Read: Morgan Spurlock Recalls Accuser...

Morgan Spurlock is opening up about his #MeToo moment—and how he’s changed his life by going sober and trying to make amends to anyone he’d ever hurt.

The Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! director and star, 48, spoke to Jennifer Hutt on her SiriusXM radio show Just Jenny Monday where he said, “The past two years has been really revelatory,” after he admitted to sexual misconduct in a Twitter post on December 2017.

“It’s been a lot of me looking at the choices I’ve made over my life and it’s been a lot of bad and poor behavioral choices,...

Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken returns to McDonald's in a new clip. Morgan Spurlock and crew decided to go investigate the chicken sandwiches to see if they have changed over the years with the outside d&#233cor. McDonald's is the infamous food of choice in the first documentary, which saw just how far one could go surviving on a diet of fast food. There were obvious health concerns and we all learned about just how powerful preservatives can be, which is pretty powerful. Now, Spurlock is back and taking on the fast food chicken market.

Has McDonald's changed up their chicken sandwiches since Morgan Spurlock was last there? According to Morgan Spurlock and crew, nothing has changed and he even admitted to getting "McPtsd" after taking a few bites. McDonald's and other fast food chains have gone out of their way to clean up their images in recent years.

The trailer for Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken has just been released and Morgan Spurlock is shaking things up again. While 2004's Super Size Me saw Spurlock eating nothing but fast food for 30 days, the sequel is providing a new twist, which has been called "a revelation." The first documentary gained a ton of attention and even earned an Academy Award nomination in the process. Since then, Spurlock has done other documentary projects, but this is bringing it all back to the fast food game.

The full title of the sequel is Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken and it obviously has to do with the most consumed animal on the planet. Instead of living off of fast food for 30 days and getting sick, Morgan Spurlock is attempting to start his own fast food chain, specializing in fried chicken. The trailer shows Spurlock as he goes to find a...

"Go forth and find your chickens!" Samuel Goldwyn Films has debuted an official trailer for Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, the latest documentary by acclaimed documentarian Morgan Spurlock. This first premiered in 2017 at the Toronto Film Festival, but hasn't been released yet - arriving in theaters & on VOD in September this year. Spurlock's big directorial debut was the very successful doc Super Size Me, which originally premiered in 2004. He returns with a sequel, reigniting his battle with the food industry – this time from behind the register – as he opens his own fast food restaurant. We follow him every step of the way, from raising the poultry and conjuring recipes to designing the brand and scouting a location. Giving us another unique, fascinating Spurlock inside look at an industry that isn't as special as it pretends to be. I've always enjoyed seeing Spurlock dive into his own ideas, experimenting with...

If you think that fast food restaurants have any sort of “healthy” options, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock is here to tell you the hard truth — that’s a bunch of bullshit. 13 years after making waves with his documentary “Super Size Me,” the director returns to take on the fast food corporations one more time in the upcoming sequel ‘Holy Chicken!’

As seen in the new trailer for ‘Super Size Me 2,’ Spurlock isn’t going back to his old ways and going on an all-fast food diet.

Continue reading ‘Super Size Me 2’ Trailer: Morgan Spurlock Aims To Create A 100% Honest Food Experience at The Playlist.