Reviews and More

My brother’s birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks and I wanted to get him something really cool this year. After putting a lot of thought into his gift, I decided to order a pair of retro Air Jordan shoes for him. My brother has always loved Air Jordans and has worn them ever since I can remember, so I’m positive that this is the right gift for him.

I knew going in that the Air Jordan 8 was my brother’s favorite shoe of all time, so right from the beginning I focused my efforts on finding that particular style. I had no luck at any of the local sporting good stores, but when I took my search online, I came across a website called My23Fans.com that turned out to be precisely what I was looking for.

They had an amazing selection of all retro Air Jordan shoe models dating way back to the very first one and culminating with the Air Jordan 22, which was released earlier this year. My23Fans.com carries a wide range of men’s, women’s, and children’s sizes, so I had no trouble finding a pair of Air Jordans that would fit my brother. Plus, My23Fans.com listed the shoes at more than 40% off the suggested retail price. That’s a pretty sweet deal right there!

The ordering process was very simple and I’m happy to report that the shoes arrived today without incident. I’m including a picture of the Air Jordan 8 (out of the box) so you can see how good they look. (You can click the photo to enlarge it a bit.)

Anyway, if you’re a fan of Air Jordan shoes, then you’ve got to check out My23Fans.com for the best selection of retro Jordans around! Trust me, you’ll get a great product and great service from them!

I was in the mood for a romantic comedy the other day, so I decided to rent Just Like Heaven. Although I didn’t really know what the movie was about prior to renting it, I had heard some good things about it. Plus, I’ve loved almost every Reese Witherspoon film I’ve seen, so I was pretty confident that I would, at the very least, be able to pass 90 minutes watching one of my favorite actresses at work. As it turned out, I actually got to see a pretty good story along the way.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Witherspoon stars as an ER doctor named Elizabeth Masterson. It’s established early on that Elizabeth very career-minded and doesn’t have much time for a social life. How can she date when she routinely pulls 26-hour shifts? Nevertheless, Elizabeth’s sister Abby (played by Dina Spybey) hasn’t given up on finding a man for her. In fact, Abby has set up a blind date for Elizabeth with a friend of a friend, which Elizabeth reluctantly agrees to. But as Elizabeth is driving to Abby’s house for the dinner date, her car is struck head-on by a large truck.

We then fast-forward about three months and meet the other major character in this film. His name is David (Mark Ruffalo), a recently widowed landscape architect who’s looking for a great apartment. He finds a furnished one that’s being sublet on a month-to-month basis, and moves right in.

Shortly thereafter, Elizabeth returns to her apartment only to find David living in there. She flips out and orders him to leave at once. David has no idea what’s going on, but figures that they might have been the victims of a lease scam or something like that. No way, Elizabeth says, she’s been living in the place for years. Funny thing is, she can’t remember her name or why she left.

David and Elizabeth soon discover that Elizabeth is actually just a spirit. David kind of likes her (or at the very least wants to get her out of the apartment), so he agrees to help her find out her identity. After a few wild goose chases, they establish who she is — and what’s wrong with her: she’s been in a coma for the three months since her accident. What’s worse, she has shown no sign of improvement in that time, so her doctor has urged Abby to consent to pulling the plug on Elizabeth’s life support.

The rest of the film then deals with David and Elizabeth’s efforts to convince Abby that Elizabeth is still clinging to life and isn’t ready to die yet.

My Reaction: While I admit that the plot of Just Like Heaven was pretty cheesy, Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo had so much chemistry that their presence was able to compensate for any shortcomings in the script. They were both very likable in this movie, and that goes a long way in making for an enjoyable viewing experience.

I contrast this with another romantic comedy that I saw recently, Knocked Up. In that film, Katherine Heigl’s character was okay, but Seth Rogan’s character was just annoying. Plus, they didn’t seem like a believable couple at all, and as a result, I thought that movie sucked.

Witherspoon clearly brings her A-game to each project she tackles, whether it’s a fun movie like this one or her Oscar-winning turn as June Carter in Walk the Line. I’m definitely a fan and will gladly watch any movie she’s in from now on!

Overall, Just Like Heaven was an entertaining bit of light fare that is perfect for one of those nights where you just want to sit back for a few good laughs and a somewhat romantic story. I give the film 7.0 stars out of 10… I think you’ll enjoy it!

I mentioned a while back that I’m giving Lost one more chance. I stopped watching the show after what I felt was a horrendous Season 3 premiere, but because of good word-of-mouth regarding how the season developed, I decided to try catching up over the summer.

Unfortunately, things aren’t going as well as I had hoped. The early episodes are a real drag, and as a result, I’ve only watched the first four so far. None of those episodes showed any promise of better things to come; they were basically just a rehash of the formula the program has used since the first season, intercutting flashbacks with current events to fill in character backstories.

Anyway, it seems that the writers are gearing up to show how things have been going on the other side of the island. The Others live in paradise compared to how the castaways are living. They have houses, TV, footballs, pianos, all the comforts of home. Plus, they also have a seemingly unending supply of food to keep them well-nourished, and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that they have Garden of Life supplements or something like that to make up for any deficiencies in their island diet. Jack, Sawyer, and Kate should stop resisting and just join the dark side… they’d definitely be more comfortable!

I guess I’m going to keep going with the show even though I’m still not completely sold on Season 3. Hey, there’s really not much else on right now anyway!