Google Reader is shutting down

The recent news that Google Reader is shutting down has come as sort of a shock. It's a great feed reader, very user-friendly and very easy to browse and easy to read my favorite blogs.

I have a few hundred subscriptions, and have them organized by category (news, music, movies, books, history, technology, etc) as this screenshot shows

Sigh!

Now I'll need to find a new feed reader.

There are others out there, but Google Reader really set the bar high.

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RIP: Google Reader Meets Its Inevitable End (Wired)

Google Reader Shutdown a Sobering Reminder That 'Our' Technology Isn't Ours (Forbes)

Google Reader shutting down on July 1 (CNN)

The End of Google Reader Sends Internet Into an Uproar (NY Times)

A Free Soul (1931)

Clark Gable plays a mobster who falls for his lawyer's daughter (Norma Shearer). She falls for him too, finding him more exciting than her current beau (Leslie Howard).  Lionel Barrymore plays her father, an alcoholic, who isn't happy about his daughter mixed up with Gable. Her family doesn't approve either, and won't even let her back in the house when the affair goes on too long. Shearer enjoys the thrill of the romance, even after she's almost killed by rival mobsters shooting at Gable in his car. Gable is great in this movie, and is one of his last "supporting" roles.

Lionel Barrymore won the Oscar for Best Actor in a great performance as the alcoholic lawyer who tries to go sober but struggles to do so. In one scene, he gets so drunk that he wanders off on a freight train and gets lost. In another scene, someone jokingly slaps him on the back and he reacts by saying, "Who's that - John L. Sullivan?" I had to look that person up to know who he was talking about; Sullivan was a boxer who was famous around the early 1900s.

The movie has a surprise twist near the end.

Directed by Clarence Brown. Highly Recommended

This was the first movie I watched on Warner Archive Instant, a new streaming service that is like Netflix, but features only Warner Archive titles. It's in a "beta" testing phase right now, and I was able to watch it for free. Once the service kicks off, I would be interested in subscribing - there are some great titles available!

Other blog reviews about this movie:
Booze Movies (review of A Free Soul)

Ellen Burstyn in Resurrection (1980)

After an severe auto accident, Ellen Burstyn's character has a glimpse of the afterlife while she is be operated on in the hospital. She experiences "seeing the light", which many people report when they are near death.

Unable to walk, she moves in with her father and grandmother (Eva Le Gallienne) and begins a new life in a new community. She meets other sick people in town and discovers that she is able to heal their illnesses, and is also able to feel the pain of their sickness as well. Her legs also miraculously heal.

The grandmother attributes the phenomena to the work of a higher power. Ellen is skeptical; I like the line where she says "I'm not the Holy Ghost...and I'm not exactly the virgin Mary either!" That's about as comedic as the film gets, as it's more drama than comedy.

Some of the townsfolk are skeptical as well, and psychologists want to run tests on her. But she wants to help the community, and even sets up revival-style tent meetings. Well-intentioned, she never exploits the people.

I've been wanting to see this movie for a long time, and it is now available to watch online streaming on Youtube. Ellen Burstyn delivers a good performance; the film is all about how her character deals with the new situations she is faced with after the car accident that kills her husband. Does she really have the power to heal? Well, the movie actually leaves it open for you to decide. I personally don't believe in faith healers, but I do believe that certain healings are sometimes unexplained. Ellen's character even says, "I can only heal 30% of the time". 

Maybe that's the point of the movie, to think about what causes this phenomenon. 

I think a 1990s movie with John Travolta called "Phenomenon" was somewhat similar, but I haven't seen that movie. It might make for a good double feature with this one.

Co-starring Roberts Blossom (Home Alone) as her father and Sam Shepard and Richard Farnsworth as kind townsfolk. A great cast!

Daughters Courageous (1939)

Daughters Courageous is a delightful romantic-comedy based on a 1935 Broadway play called "Fly Away Home". It tells the story of an estranged father who returns home to his ex-wife and daughters after 20 years, only to discover that they've moved on with their lives.

Claude Rains plays the father, who has been living an adventure-seeking life for the past 20 years. (On the 1935 stage, Thomas Mitchell played this character).

Fay Bainter plays the mother, who has moved on with her life and is now engaged to a more reserved man, played by Donald Crisp. (On the 1935 stage, Mary Wickes played the matriarch).

John Garfield is also great in this; I'll talk about him in a minute.

The daughters are played by Gale Page and the Lane Sisters (Priscilla, who is the star of the film, Rosemany, and Lola). Gale is an aspiring actress, and there's a fun scene where the entire family goes to see her perform on stage. Priscilla Lane's character is high-spirited and loves to slide down the banister, much to the dismay of housekeeper Penny played by May Robson (an Oscar nominee for Frank Capra's Lady for A Day) The other sisters enjoy frolicking on the beach, just a short walk from their seaside home

Interesting note: the 1935 play featured Montgomery Clift (his acting debut) as a brother to the sisters, but the brother character was written out of the movie version. Read more about the 1935 play here at the Andrea King website.

Claude Rains' prodigal father is an interesting character. Attention-starved, he pathetically turns up the radio volume to get people to look at him. And he doesn't even remember the names of all his grown daughters, who he hasn't seen since they were babies. However, when everyone else forgets Fay Bainter's birthday, Rains brings flowers and cake (I love that part).  The daughters initially conspire to kick him out of the house, but later change their minds as they get more acquainted with him.

When asked why he came back home, Rains - half jokingly - says that he missed Penny's cooking. But the real reason he's back is because he's lonely, and that becomes clear when he meets the John Garfield character, Gabriel Lopez, an out-of-work moocher who falls in love with Priscilla Lane's character. One night, Gabriel shows up to the house to serenade her with an accordion (I love that part, too), only to discover Rains home alone. After some witty banter, the two kindred spirits spend a couple of hours talking about traveling.

By the end of the film, Rains has to make a choice whether to stay involved with the family or leave.

And Priscilla Lane has to decide between two suitors - John Garfield or Jeffrey Lynn.

When the decisions have been made, you can't help wonder what becomes of everyone.

Bad boy John Garfield and Priscilla Lane fall in love in Daughters Courageous

A heart-warming film that is one of my all-time favorites, and my favorite movie starring John Garfield.  He brings a great deal of personality to the character, and makes you believe that he can sweep Priscilla Lane right off her feet even when he can't afford to buy her a bag of peanuts.

The rest of the movie is filled with many fine performances, too. Highly recommended. A+

Directed by Michael Curtiz. On DVD (Warner Archive Collection).

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This post is featured in Patti's blogathon devoted to the films of John Garfield
in celebration of Mr. Garfield's centennial year.