Hold it right there, world.

Freeze. 

Moomins:the Movie is a thing that is happening in 2014.  By French people.

My feelings?  Bubbling excitement, mainly.  At least at the actual concept of a Moomin movie.  

But what do you think about the poster and the other art that's been released?  A woman traipsing glamorously about in her undies?  Sweet little Snork Maiden surrounded by jaded-looking casino players smoking cigarettes?  Granted, this is based on Tove Jansson's comic strip Moomin (which I haven't read in its entirety) and could, for all I know, follow the strip's plot to a T.  

But even if that were the case...if filmmakers are going to devote a full-length production to the Moomins, I would by far prefer for it to capture the raw, whimsical, idyllic world depicted in the original books.  Not only are the novels 100%, absolutely child-friendly; they're simultaneously rich and smart enough to absorb even the shrewdest of adult minds.

Will this endeavor prove to be a success, or a let-down?  We'll see.  At any rate, 2014 will find me in theaters and fangirling hard.

(ok, world, you can go back to revolving now.)

(image credits: handleproductions.com)

10 things to make your summer more awesome

1. Picnics.

image: poteidia.tumblr.com


this ought to be a given. gather a group of loved ones, pack a wicker basket full of goodies and a volume or two of good poetry, and head for the woods, or the creek-side, or the pasture. extra points if you're decked out in some sort of period attire.

2.  Oscar Wilde.

image: socialphy.com


you need him in your life, especially during a season so luscious as summer (The Nightingale and the Rose - 'nuff said). “you know you want to,” says Indolently Reclining Oscar.

3.  Fudgsicles.

image: kssamya.blogspot.com

this requires no further explanation.

4.  Tove Jansson's Moomins.


image: wikipedia.org

wait. you don't know about the Moomins? I'm sorry, but we can't be friends anymore.

just kidding.

go read up. you can start at the beginning, with Comet in Moominland, if that's your style; or you could jump right in with the seasonally appropriate Moominsummer Madness. at any rate, literature's most charming Finnish beasties are beckoning you to come share in their adventures.

5.  The Adventures of Tintin


image: amazon.com

because it's on netflix instant play. and because he's about as hot as plus-fours wearing, quiff-sporting Belgian reporters get. and because nothing beats early-90's cartoon score music.

6.  Making giant bubbles.


image: klutz.com

I know I'm not the only one who did this growing up.

7.  Flower crowns.


image: kisty.net

you know, for those days when you feel like being a super gorgeous, deluxe Alphonse Mucha maiden. Here's a tutorial for making one. if you're a dude, make one for a pretty girl in your life. or wear it yourself, and pretend to be a magical faun.

8.  Bat-watching.


image: batguys.com

I'm just kidding about this one. well, maybe. well, not really at all. it's a long story.

9.  A Room With a View.


image: moviegoods.com

based on E. M. Forster's masterpiece, this is the ultimate coming-of-age tale. it's got everything – the Italian countryside, romance-related confusion, stuffy suitors named Cecil; Maggie Smith... and it streams instantly, too, you lucky kid.

10.  This book by Kit Williams.


image: polarbearstale.blogspot.com

Summer izzz as summer duzzz.


happy summer, all.
pace e bene
Olivia