By: Joe Hitchcock,
on 6/16/2015
For some people, recent images of the Rosetta space program have been slightly disappointing. We expected to see the nucleus of the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet as a brilliantly shining body. Instead, images from Rosetta are as black as a lump of coal. Galileo Galilei would be among those not to share this sense of disappointment.
The post From Galileo to Rosetta appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Lauren,
on 9/30/2011
This Day in World History - Each evening that weather permitted, Maria (pronounced Mah-RYE-uh) Mitchell mounted the stairs to the roof of her family’s Nantucket home to sweep the sky with a telescope looking for a comet. Mitchell—who had been taught mathematics and astronomy by her father—began the practice in 1836. Eleven years later, on October 1, 1847, her long labors finally paid off. When she saw the comet, she quickly summoned her father, who agreed with her conclusion.
By: Betsy Bird,
on 4/24/2007
Your name: Gabor Csupo.
Your occupation: Director.
Your latest project: Bridge to Terabithia.
Your movie: Hit.
Your conclusion: I should do more of these children's films. Maybe I should adapt that book J.K. Rowling's always talking about. What's it called again? Oh, yeah. The Little White Horse. Kind of a lame name though. How about we call it The Moon Princess instead? Yeah. That's got some verve to it. We'll get Colin Firth to sign on. It'll be awesome. But I should really do more than one film at a time. I know! I'll get AnnaSophia Robb to star in another film. This one'll be based on that book due out in May, The White Giraffe. Can't see how anything could go wrong with THAT one.
The problem is that I've read The White Giraffe. I've read it, and I have some bad news. It isn't good. With pretensions to be something more, basically it boils down to a white-girl-goes-to-Africa-and-saves-the-day story. I'll review it soon, but to hear that Csupo has signed onto that particular project makes me sad. Ah well.
I happen to be a fan of The Little White Horse, but the description of it on the movie site is quite different from the book I know. Sort of the way the Terabithia trailer is quite different from the book we know. So there's hope.
Hey, Gabor Csupo is one of the minds behind The Rugrats. Forget Terabithia! Csupo is the Rugrat guy!
I'd like to see more good, original children's films that aren't based on books. However, I'm grateful when a movie-release brings the return of an out-of-print story (i.e. Nurse Matilda-- haven't seen the movie, though). I'm hoping that "The Moon Princess" brings a revival of Elizabeth Goudge books. I have no comment on The White Giraffe except-- puh-lease.
Point taken, but don't forget that many great movies have been made from bad books. Some books just want to be dramatized, or are waiting for the right director to add that "auteur"'s touch to the thing.
What really bothers me is the cover art for the new paperback edition, which I've put up on my blog, next to earlier covers. Why does Maria have no mouth??? And what is with those eyes????
you realize it's not so much the director deciding to make these movies--it is Walden Media, they of Chronicles of Narnia and Teribithia.
These projects have all been in the works for quite a while with them. In this case, the director is not the one who decide to adapt them and get into children's movies, the production company who owns the rights, who has had these in their queue for a few years now, is. They hire the director (one they've worked with, and are apparently pleased with), they commission the scripts, etc. etc. etc.
also, I think that the new cover art for The Little White Horse the UK editon, and not the one available in the US (which is here: http://www.amazon.com/Little-White-Horse-Elizabeth-Goudge/dp/0142300276/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-6925073-8468009?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177536261&sr=1-2 )
Oh no no no, please no. Not Little White Horse!