Clean & Winter

Winter's Bone is what I call my favourite movie. It's a very moving story, and Jennifer Lawrence plays the toughest cookie of all time. This is the movie that got her The Hunger Games (and a lead actress Oscar nomination, if you care about such things)--and she is brilliant.

The best part of this movie is the character is human, but so fucking brave. She's terrified, she's up against the worst shit, she's 17, and she still gets the most amazing things done. It's things like this, watching characters on these journeys, that made the Greeks invent their epic dramas (according to Martha Nussbaum). Watch how it happens, watch what people are capable of, see into life a little bit.

Or hell, just be entertained.

It's on youtube, for now. As is Clean, with Maggie Cheung. That is another of my all-time favourites, also a story centring on a woman going through some super tough shit, but being unbelievable all the while. I like these movies because they don't tell you these girls are incredible in some montage of them strutting down a Manhattan sidewalk and walking fast in heels towards some fancy office job. The whole story builds, and you see by the others, by their interactions, by the relationships that you find in the middle, how awesome they are.

If I had half of what these fictional women have...well, you try. You always have to try to be better.

Here is a link to the best scene in Winter's Bone (watch it for five minutes and see if you're not convinced): [sorry you have to click through to get the pinpoint link]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE1ibJVeawQ&t=45m05s


And here is the entirety of Clean--

And just because it helped me do the splits and become weirdly good at yoga, here's Rodney Yee (this little 25 minute work out doesn't seem like much, but holy shit, do it everyday for a month and you will notice intense, magical results).