Left work a little early today, since the drive to Universal Citywalk is pretty crazy, especially during rush hour. I picked up Matt (and checked out his new Sony 42″ LCD rear-projection television set – mmmmmmm nice!), and we slogged through Hollywood to CityWalk. Ok, $8 for parking. A little absurd, right? But wait! There’s more: for $15, you can get preferred parking, and not walk your lazy-ass as far. Wow. That’s just for parking.
The film was really a documentary: it’s all about NASCAR, but was shot in 3D IMAX. And it was filmed by Simon Wincer, so it actually was creatively shot. That is, the camera is placed in dynamic, engaging places. You really feel like you’re inside the car with the driver. It only runs about 45 minutes or so, and the 3D goggles were a bit cumbersome after a while. But still, the 3D effect and immersive sound make this a must-see IMAX film. And that’s another thing – because it’s IMAX, the image quality is sick. It’s just soooo good. After the film, we were initially gonna go to dinner, but neither of us were hungry. So, the question is: what’s the best way to get back to the Westside from Universal City? There’s no direct route. You could take the freeway through Downtown. Or you could go through the valley, and down. Instead, we took the slightly scenic route, atop the mountains on Mulholland Drive. Whee!