Hydroplaning for Anaconda

On Friday, Rich and I hit Lulu’s over in Northridge for brunch. First time for me. This location had a full-on airplane / nautical theme going on, which I wasn’t expecting but I like airplanes so it works. I went with the Eggs Benedict, a diner classic, and it was spot-on.

On Saturday I went to see Anaconda solo as Rich had to bail and Chris was out of town. Based on the trailer, it felt like Sony had already shown everything, including what looked like the big reveal involving Jack Black. The theater was completely empty, which is exactly what I love about these runs and the timing—basically a private screening. You can’t beat Saturday morning showings, granted that also means there’s maybe one, maybe two people who are ever down to do it.

The movie itself was good—I really enjoyed it. The Jack Black and pig scene wasn’t the big reveal the trailer made it out to be, which was actually a relief. What I really liked was how different the movie felt from what was marketed; Sony even poked a bit of fun at itself, and there were quick cameo appearances from Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez. The movie had a meta feel/edge to it.

The pacing was slower and more deliberate. It gave the movie room to breathe instead of rushing from moment to moment. Jack Black and Paul Rudd played their roles straight when the movie needed it and let the comedy sit where it belonged. That balance kept the movie grounded, even when it got a little weird—and it got weird.

Afterward, I ended up at MiDici’s, my go-to pizza spot off Ventura. It felt fitting because for some reason they have a tree in the center of it—kind of like the Amazon, right? Anyways, I got the margherita pizza and added pepperoni. And I’ll say this right now (and probably again in future posts)—if you don’t see pepperoni on the menu at a pizza place, I guarantee they have it in the back and will add it to whatever their classic pie is. Margherita pizza with pepperoni is freaking amazing. Jesse, the owner, was there. He’s just a really cool dude, so we got to say hi to each other and such, which was nice.

I didn’t know what to do about donuts, so I went to USA Donuts. They’re easy for solo runs. Plus, it was raining, and since people in SoCal forget how to drive the second water hits the road, I wasn’t about to try and tackle some epic spot in the chaos. I almost went with the classic Simpsons donut again, but I decided to switch it up and try something I hadn’t had before—the chocolate buttermilk. Solid choice.

To close the weekly run out, I hung out with some friends at La Fogata, just off Van Nuys and Magnolia. I went with the usual Steak Fogata taco combo. Not a bad way to bring in 2026.