documentaries - page 3

Prehistoric Planet dino documentary looks amazing in first full Apple TV+ trailer

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'Prehistoric Planet' dino documentary looks amazing in first full Apple TV+ trailer
Prehistoric Planet will make the Jurassic Park movies look about as scientifically accurate as a Bug Bunny cartoon.
Screenshot: Apple TV+

What might be the most visually stunning and scientifically accurate dinosaur documentary in a generation will soon premiere on Apple TV+. The first full trailer for Prehistoric Planet shows it’ll explore many parts of the world of the dinosaurs, from the Arctic to the oceans.

If you can’t imagine a Tyranosaurus Rex being loving or nurturing, then you really need to watch this.

Apple TV+ Make or Break trailer follows top surfers’ intense competitions

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Hang ten with some of the top surfers in the world.
Hang ten with some of the top surfers in the world.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ released the first trailer Monday for Make or Break, a new seven-part documentary series that delivers behind-the-scenes access to the world’s best surfers. The series follows them as they battle for the world title at the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT).

In the trailer, you get to briefly meet a bunch of the world’s best surfers and get a taste of the huge challenges they face.

And dude, you can’t unsee the surfboard with the big shark-bite taken out of it.

Trailer for Apple TV+ Prehistoric Planet dinosaur documentary looks stunning

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Trailer for Apple TV+ ‘Prehistoric Planet’ dinosaur documentary looks stunning
The five-episode Prehistoric Planet dinosaur documentary will premiere on Apple TV+ in late May.
Graphic: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ on Monday gave the first glimpse at Prehistoric Planet, its highly anticipated series of documentaries focusing on dinosaurs and other ancient animals. It’ll be narrated by Sir David Attenborough, and produced by Jon Favreau and Mike Gunton.

The eye-popping trailer shows off the series’ photorealistic visual effects from MPC (The Lion King, The Jungle Book).

Apple TV+ movies sizzle reel shows a network at less than peak performance

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Apple TV+s Luck
Luck, which features a dragon voiced by Jane Fonda, is just one of the star-studded films coming to Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple

Apple kicked off Tuesday’s Peek Performance event with a look at the upcoming Apple TV+ slate of movies — and it’s not a very pretty picture.

You can look forward to the kind of forgettable, star-studded stuff that Netflix has become so adept at providing a rapacious public, most of whom seem just as eager to forget these types of movies exist. While promising Martin Scorsese film Killers of the Flower Moon remains free of both a release date and a trailer, the Apple TV+ sizzle real showcased several upcoming movies that don’t inspire confidence.

Dear… returns with more gut-wrenching stories to inspire you [Apple TV+ review]

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Dear... review Apple TV+ season 2: High-minded celebrities like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar get the celebration they deserve in this Apple TV+ series.
Righteous celebrities like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar get the celebration they deserve in this inspiring series.
Photo: Apple TV+

Dear…, the Apple TV+ show about the public figures who inspire millions, returns for a second season Friday with a new roster of guest stars and a renewed purpose.

The filmed segments — during which we see people who write letters to the inspirational celebrities, as well as the celebs themselves — look splashier this time. The stories prove more gut-wrenching, and Lin-Manuel Miranda is nowhere in sight.

This show’s setup is an easy layup, but sometimes there’s satisfaction in that.

Lincoln’s Dilemma delivers a compelling history lesson [Apple TV+ review]

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Lincoln's Dilemma review: Apple TV+ Abraham Lincoln documentary offers fresh look at the Great Emancipator.
The new documentary offers a fresh look at the Great Emancipator.
Photo: Apple TV+

New Apple TV+ docu-series Lincoln’s Dilemma delivers a fine history lesson in classical PBS form. The four-part series, which premieres today, brings you the story of Lincoln’s presidency and the ways in which he approached the issue of slavery, from his first dealings with the issue until his death at the hands of a Confederate sympathizer.

Stewarded by executive producer/directors Jacqueline Olive and Barak Goodman, executive producer Jelani Cobb and a host of historians and activists, the series’ form is likely too sturdy and utilitarian to change the way anyone views Lincoln.

However, the filmmakers’ intent is admirable. They set out to neither oversell nor undersell Lincoln and his views on slavery, how history has sought to simplify the political figures of the 1860s, and how the Great Emancipator was and was not an adequate moniker for the 16th president of the United States.

Navy SEALS doc The Line ducks the big questions about war [Apple TV+ review]

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The Line review: Retired Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher confesses in The Line, and it's chilling.
Retired Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher confesses in The Line, and it's chilling.
Photo: Apple TV+

When Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher was slapped with war crimes charges in 2018, the allegations made a public spectacle of the inexcusable, overzealous violence that had been a staple of U.S. military intervention in Iraq since the first years of the invasion post-9/11.

What followed brought the wrong kind of attention to military operations at a time when the United States needed to sell its continuing involvement in Iraq. In new Apple TV+ series The Line, directors Jeff Zimbalist and Doug Shultz adapt the podcast of the same name as a four-part documentary.

In it, we hear testimony from everyone who felt comfortable stepping forward to talk about really happened in Mosul, where Gallagher led a sniper team and committed acts that shocked his fellow war fighters. And yet the filmmakers ultimately fail to ask the questions that really matter.

Get a lifetime of documentaries and online security with this cut-rate bundle

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From nature to outer space and beyond, Curiosity Stream's collection of documentaries will expand your mind. (And KeepSolid VPN will protect your butt.)
From nature to outer space and beyond, Curiosity Stream's collection of documentaries will expand your mind. (And KeepSolid VPN will protect your butt.)
Photo: Gwen Weustink/Unsplash CC

With this deal, you can watch thousands of amazing documentaries and enjoy the safest internet connection around — forever!

And if you act now, you can secure the best possible pricing on two services essential for 21st-century life. During our Pre-Black Friday Doorbusters, the Curiosity Stream + KeepSolid VPN Unlimited Lifetime Subscription Bundle is on sale for just $179 (regularly $449).

The Velvet Underground pays tribute to the ’60s coolest band [Apple TV+ review]

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The Velvet Underground
Bands didn't get much artier than The Velvet Underground, and this new documentary does the group proud.
Photo: Apple TV+

In The Velvet Underground, the coolest band of the ’60s finally gets the biodoc treatment from a director who engaged with the group’s legacy throughout his career. Todd Haynes and Apple TV+ finally bring you the story of The Velvet Underground, the band that created punk rock and broke rock ‘n’ roll.

Fan of historical fantasy spun by victors? Watch 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room [Apple TV+ review]

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9/11: Inside the President's War Room
This 9/11 doc marks an anniversary people will have no trouble remembering.
Photo: Apple TV+

With the 20-year anniversary of 9/11 around the corner, Apple TV+ funded the new documentary 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room. This was unwise from all but perhaps a business standpoint — but even there it’s a gamble.

Watch the Sound With Mark Ronson is a fun dive into music production [Apple TV+ review]

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Watch The Sound with Mark Ronson review: The producer breaks down the elements of music on the hugely enjoyable new Apple TV+ docuseries.
Mark Ronson breaks down the elements of music on the hugely enjoyable new Apple TV+ docuseries.
Photo: Apple TV+

In the latest docuseries from Apple TV+, the world’s most in-demand producer takes a step out from behind the boards to lead us on a meditative quest to better understand the elements of music and music production that inspire him. Watch the Sound With Mark Ronson serves as a master class in mixing, mastering, experimenting and breaking it down.

Todd Haynes’ Velvet Underground doc for Apple TV+ is a hit at Cannes

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Discover how an unsuccessful rock band went on to become hugely influential in the Velvet Underground documentary on Apple TV+.
Discover how an unsuccessful rock band went on to become hugely influential in the Velvet Underground documentary on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple

Director Todd Haynes’ first foray into documentary filmmaking, The Velvet Underground, got rave reviews after its world premiere Wednesday at the Cannes Film Festival. And that bodes well for the music doc’s debut on Apple TV+ and in theaters on October 15.

Who Are You, Charlie Brown? pulls the football on Peanuts doc [Apple TV+ review]

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Who Are You, Charlie Brown?
An early drawing shows Charlie Brown on the mound.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ has another hagiographic documentary for you, and this one proves just as insubstantial as its last aimless doc. It’s called Who Are You, Charlie Brown?, and it premieres today on Apple’s streaming service.

Unfortunately, if you were hoping for a deep dive into the craft and artistic impulses behind Charles M. Schulz and his world-renowned Peanuts characters, maybe read a book instead.

Was 1971 the best year for music? Apple TV+ trailer argues so

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1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything
Coming to Apple TV+ later this month.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple offers a compelling sneak peek at its upcoming 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything documentary series in a new trailer. Set to debut on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 21, the documentary argues 1971 — a.k.a. 50 years ago — was a crucial juncture for music and society.

As one of the interviewees quoted in the trailer notes, “I don’t think the music was a reflection of the times, as much as the music also caused the times.”

1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything hits Apple TV+ on May 21

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“1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything” debuted on Apple TV+ in May.
Jump back 50 years to take a deep dive into “1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything.”
Photo: Apple

Music fans rejoice! 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything is an upcoming Apple TV+ documentary series exploring the musicians and soundtracks that shaped the culture and politics of 50 years ago.

It’ll premiere on Apple’s streaming video service on Friday, May 21.

‘Definitive’ Louis Armstrong documentary trumpets toward Apple TV+

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‘Definitive’ Louis Armstrong documentary trumpets toward Apple TV+
Apple TV+ will release Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues, giving an in-depth look at the musician’s life and legacy.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s streaming service green lit Black & Blues: The Colorful Ballad of Louis Armstrong. The documentary film promises a “definitive” look at the musician’s life and legacy built on the filmmakers’ access to never-before-seen materials.

It’ll be the latest production of Ron Howard’s Imagine Documentaries, along with Apple Original Films.

Apple TV+ preps stunning nature documentaries for Earth Day

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‘ The Year Earth Changed’ premieres on Apple TV+ on April 15, 2021.
The Year Earth Changed is just one of the nature documentaries coming to Apple’s streaming service in April.
Graphic: Apple

The Year Earth Changed is a fresh documentary showing how animals around the world recovered during the year COVID-19 kept humans in lockdown. The show, which will be narrated by David Attenborough, will premiere on Apple TV+ in time for Earth Day.

The streaming service is also about to air the second seasons of its documentary series Tiny World and Earth At Night In Color.

A superstar opens up in Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry [Apple TV+ review]

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Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry
She's young, she's human, get used to it.
Photo: Apple TV+

With Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, the young pop star gets a showcase and a bio-doc, which means she’s gotten so hugely popular that people demanded to know more about her.

The good news is, Eilish is a humble and interesting subject. The bad news: Being a depressed teenager with high-tension demands placed upon you isn’t the easiest thing in the world.

Surf’s up! Apple TV+ dives into World Surf League docuseries

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Apple TV+ goes behind-the-scenes at the 2021 World Surf League championship.
Seven-time World Surf League champion Stephanie Gilmore at Honolua Bay.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s video streaming service is hitting the waves. It ordered a documentary series that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the aspirations, failures and accomplishments of the world’s best surfers as they compete in the World Surf League championship.

Feast your eyes on Earth at Night in Color [Apple TV+ review]

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The Earth At Night in Color
Brace yourself for an unequaled eyeful of nature.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ steps up its nature doc game again with Earth at Night in Color. Exciting, beautiful and cute, the show is as easy to watch as it is cumbersome to say.

Narrated by Tom Hiddleston, the series looks at parts of the natural world previously only revealed in grainy and intense night vision. It’s as exciting and revealing as anyone could hope for.

Get wowed by amazing camera tech in Earth at Night in Color on Apple TV+

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‘Earth At Night In Color’ premiers December 4 on Apple TV+.
Earth At Night In Color journeys into the night , and makes it like day.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s next nature docuseries goes where ordinary cameras fear to tread: the darkness. Earth at Night in Color uses cutting-edge camera technology to explore life after dark in ways not possible before.

Watch the official trailer for the Apple TV+ series to get a first glimpse.

Becoming You will make you marvel at human development [Apple TV+ review]

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Becoming You is sensational, no matter your age
Becoming You is sensational, no matter your age
Photo: Apple TV+

New Apple TV+ documentary series Becoming You is the kind of admirably human show that seems designed to rack up grateful viewers.

Tackling the earliest development of the human brain in more than a hundred children the world over, the docuseries makes a calculated plea for empathy and togetherness — and a convincing one at that.

Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds will fill you with wonder [Apple TV+ review]

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Clive Oppenheimer and Werner Herzog guide us through
Clive Oppenheimer and Werner Herzog guide us through Fireball.
Photo: Apple TV+

Werner Herzog’s latest documentary is truly an all-timer for the Bavarian buddha. Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds, a doc about meteors that debuts on Apple TV+ on November 13, looks at no less than the way the heavens speak to us insignificant earthlings.

In traditional Herzog style it’s discursive, loopy and unspeakably beautiful. However much Apple TV+ spent on this film, it was a bargain. Because this is the kind of documentary you’ll want to watch over and over again.