Friday, August 3, 2018

PBS to Release Numerous August Titles Including "The Outback" and "Kingdom of the Sky" (Review)

Disclosure:  I was sent screeners from the vendor in exchange for an honest review.  All views shared are mine and mine alone.


Did you hear?  PBS is releasing a handful of new titles this August.  DVDs to be on the lookout for include  “KINGDOMS OF THE SKY” available on Blu-ray and DVD (8/7), “10 THAT CHANGED AMERICA” available on DVD (8/14), “HILLARY” available on DVD (8/21), and “THE OUTBACK” available on DVD (8/21). For the nature aficionados out there, these titles will be your go-to choices and fan-favorites!  I was recently sent three out of the four upcoming releases and wanted to share more about each upcoming release and my thoughts on them.




About this 3-part series:

"Kingdoms of the Sky is a landmark three-part series that reveals the extraordinary animals and remarkable people who make a home on the iconic mountain ranges of the world. 

Himalaya: Meet the extraordinary wildlife and people of the Himalaya - the highest mountain range on earth, where the air is the thinnest, the wind the strongest, the storms the fiercest. The higher you climb, the tougher it gets to survive. See snub-nosed monkeys, snow leopards on the prowl, and Tibetan monks performing ancient rituals high in the mountains. 

Rockies: The Rockies stretch 3000 miles across a beautiful wilderness of snow-capped peaks and hidden valleys. It is home to cougar, wolverine, wolves, and grizzly, and where daredevil wingsuit fliers jump from high peaks and Native Americans compete in breakneck horse races. 


Andes: The longest mountain range on the planet holds dozens of hidden worlds, from the driest desert on Earth to cloud forests teeming with life. Pumas hunt guanaco, shape-shifting frogs hide in remote forests, and the descendants of Inca build bridges of grass. Magnificent snow sculptures, huge salt lakes, and spectacular peaks are all found in these rugged peaks."

My Thoughts:

I am always amazed at the remarkable footage that can be captured for PBS series like this one.  As you sit and watch, you feel like you are really there, which makes watching these series that much more enjoyable.  My husband and I love learning about places and have gravitated to BBC Earth and seeking out documentaries and series from PBS.  So, when I heard about this upcoming August DVD release, I had to get my hands on a copy.  I received this DVD a few days ago and we have already viewed the Himalaya and Rockies.  We will watch the Andes feature this evening. So far, we have been in awe of these iconic mountain ranges and the people and animals who live here.  We found ourselves pausing different parts to admire the breathtaking scenery and landscape.  After watching the first two parts of this 3-part series, we now have two more places to add to our bucket list for visiting one day.  But, in the meantime, we can enjoy all the beauty of these mountain ranges thanks to this wonderful 3-part series.





About this documentary:

"Outback Australia's vast North West corner is a startling landscape. Its geology includes some of the world's most ancient rock, inland mesas pockmarked by Devonian sea life through to rock faces so old, they predate life. Across this geology, the messages of our planets oldest living culture - vivid images of a world feverishly interpreted, as long ago as 50,000 years. But Australia's Outback is much more than desert and rock. Where it meets the sea, enormous tides reveal the most biodiverse mudflats on the planet, where great flocks of shorebirds migrate from the Arctic Tundra and crocodiles predate narrow estuaries. Off the coast, a humpback nursery receives its new arrivals from Antarctica. Below them, elite divers descend in search of the world's most spectacular pearls. The Kimberley region of Western Australia is as large as California with a population of only 40,000 people. We journey through the diverse landscapes of this region as two distinct seasons, 'the wet' and 'the dry' dictate the cycles of life. It's a frontier existence and it takes a tough hide to survive."

My Thoughts:

This was the first DVD we watched after receiving the three.  My husband is a huge fan of the Australian Outback thanks to all the wilderness shows he watches where people get dropped off in locations and have to navigate and live off the land.  I couldn't get over how Western Australia is almost as large as California with around 40,000 people.  As you watch this DVD you will see vivid images of Australia through the ages, and learn more about this wonderful place -- it is more than just desert and rock.  Viewers will be introduced to the two seasons of the Outback, "wet" and "dry" and learn what it takes to survive in this frontier.

We really enjoyed this DVD and will definitely be watching it again soon. If you love the Outback or want to learn more than what they have taught you in school about this frontier, then you will want to pick up this DVD when it releases on August 21st.


About this 6-Part Drama:

"Hillary Starring Andrew Munro (The Kick) as Sir Edmund Hillary; Dean O'Gorman (The Hobbit) as Hillary's long-time climbing companion and friend, George Lowe; and Amy Usherwood (Shortland Street) as Ed's wife, Lady Louise Hillary, Hillary is an intriguing drama about the man who conquered more than just Mount Everest. 

Sir Edmund Hillary was a bee-keeper, mountaineer, war veteran, explorer, philanthropist, husband, father, and the first person to ever reach the summit of Mount Everest. By stepping where no man had before, with climbing partner Tenzing Norgay, Hillary claimed a victory for New Zealand and made a name for himself around the world. 

Writer Tom Scott draws the detailed story from his personal conversations with Hillary himself, which took place before Hillary's 2008 death. From his childhood in South Auckland, New Zealand, to the plane crash that killed his wife and daughter, Hillary portrays the life, loves, and losses of one of the most famous explorers of all time."

My Thoughts:

I have to say that I was not that familiar with Sir Edmund Hillary, so was curious to watch this 6-part drama to learn me.  Hillary was the first person to climb and reach the summit of Mount Everest, and made a name for himself.  But, he also suffered extreme heartache when he lost his wife and daughter in a plane crash.  This 6-part series will share all about this amazing mountaineer who conquered more than just Mount Everest in his short lifetime. He truly was a remarkable man and someone we should all know more about.  And, thanks to this upcoming DVD we all now can learn about this amazing explorer and how he set the bar for explorers and dreamers after him.  I highly recommend this movie, and am happy to have it in my collection to watch time and again.

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To learn more about these and other upcoming documentaries and series from PBS, head over to https://www.pbs.org today.  Just because you are no longer in school doesn't mean you can get schooled or learn things.  Kids are returning back to school to learn, and you can pick these or other wonderful documentaries or series from PBS and BBC Earth, and learn all about the magnificent wonders of the World and fascinating people and animals who have roamed the planet.


Disclosure:  I was sent screeners from the vendor in exchange for an honest review.  All views shared are mine and mine alone.

3 comments :

  1. These both sound like something my family will love!

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  2. I love PBS so much. The kids would love to see these and I would too thanks for the information love your blog and have been coming to it for so many years now.
    heather [email protected]

    ReplyDelete