Broken Memories Movie, a Touching Look at Alzheimer’s

I had the privilege of attending a screening of Broken Memories, an indie film centered around a family dealing with Alzheimer's, and in the process gained a little perspective.

The screening was held at Writer's Guild Theater in Beverly Hills and was combined with a benefit for Alzheimer's Greater Los Angeles. In attendance were Ron and Bryce Dallas Howard, son and granddaughter of Rance Howard, who starred in the film, there to show support. This topic is especially dear to the Howards, as Rance's wife passed away from Alzheimer's earlier this year. The audience got to hear just how proud the father-daughter pair are of their grand/father, as well as speak about how Alzheimer's has played a role in their family.

Going into the movie I was nervous about the subject matter. I immediately thought of The Notebook and how sad the film was. As the movie progressed, I learned that this story, while painful, was also a celebration of life. A reminder to cherish time with our loved ones. And it didn't hurt that Rance Howard played the role perfectly. He was charming and hilarious. Throughout the screening I wanted to give his character a big hug.

Being indie, the movie wasn't a big production. I felt the characters could have been developed more and the supporting cast, Ivan Sergei and Kelly Greyson, while they did just fine, weren't on the same level as Howard who was phenomenally relatable. In fact, Ron Howard said this is his father's best work. Despite it not being a big blockbuster, the feelings that the film evokes of the audience is undeniable.

Many of us have been affected in some measure by Alzheimer's. According to alz.org, more than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer's. It's a savage disease that wipes away memories, is frustrating for those affected, and possibly ever harder for those left to care for loved ones who lose their memories.

A few days before the screening I spent time with my grandpa who is starting to forget things. Right now he'll call us by another name and ask us the same questions repeatedly, but overall he still remembers. Sometimes when he repeats himself, I catch myself thinking, "Grandpa, I just told you" and then feel guilty. This movie was a great reminder that he has no control of what he forgets and I am truly lucky that he still has his memories.

You can watch Broken Memories now on Apple's VOD. The film is shining light on this heart-wrenching topic and is definitely worth seeing, regardless if you have an experience with Alzheimer's.

Bacari P.D.R. Boasts a Phenomenal Brunch

Bacari P.D.R. has me wishing I lived in the South Bay! Hands down, it is the best brunch I've ever experienced. The food is phenomenal. Every single thing I tried was delicious. And it doesn't hurt that the perfectly-decorated, hip restaurant is located in the small seaside town of Playa del Rey, CA. 

Upon entering Bacari P.D.R., you are greeted with vintage light bulbs, a ceiling covered in wine bottles, and an intimate atmosphere. The restaurant is small, but in good way that allows you to enjoy conversations with your table mates. The size didn't hinder our experience, but I hear it can get crowded. We visited for Sunday brunch and were seated right away thanks to reservations. Call ahead to be safe.

We started off with bottomless mimosas for $20 a person and were provided with jars of champagne and orange juice. No wait at all! We later switched to sangria, also part of the $20 deal. It was nice to have variety and drinks that were promptly replenished our entire meal. Bravo to the staff!

And then there was the food. The amazing food! Portions are on the smaller side, allowing guests to try a plethora of dishes. Two to three plates per person are recommended. With our group of four, we ordered about two items each and were able to try at least half of the menu. Check out the amazing dishes below.

Crab Cake Benedict

grapefruit hollandaise, sous-vide egg

Poached Shrimp

citrus chili, shaved radish, parsley, micro basil

Gravlax Pizza

cured salmon, avocado, pickled red onion, creme fraiche, crispy dough

Shakshouka

rustic tomato sauce, bell pepper, garlic, sous-vide egg, parsley, baguette

Bacari Fries

chef's sunflower, roasted garlic, lemon and smoked pepper sauce, fried egg

Incredible flavors! I'd say my food adventure level is a medium so some of the combos sounded a little weird and I was hesitant to try, but I'm glad I did because the ingredients work so well together.  Not pictured were a few more items that I didn't try because I'm pescatarian, but my friends said it was all delicious. I also forgot to snap photos of the veggie hash and chef's french toast. Even though I don't eat meat, I am not a big fan of fake meat. That being said, WOW was the veggie hash good! Didn't taste vegetarian at all. And I also don't care for french toast, I know, so weird!, but I was pleasantly surprised that I loved Baracri's. 

In all, I tried seven dishes and enjoyed each. Not just, eh that's OK, but really, really enjoyed each dish. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. I look forward to my next visit and trying the remaining items!

If you are on the west side go to Bacari P.D.R. stat. If Playa del Rey is too far of a trek, check out their Glendale location, Bacari G.D.L. or Bacaro L.A. in Los Angeles. You can thank me later.

Ghost and Haunt Tours of Gatlinburg Thrills

As a self-proclaimed ghost tour aficionado, I make it a point to book one in every city I visit. My most recent was in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. While researching the best options in the area, I came across Ghost & Haunt Tours of Gatlinburg and knew this was the tour for me! It not only looked legit, but had equipment that I thought was a fun touch. That equipment lead to a haunting experience.

Ghost tours are a great way to get history of the location you're visiting, see the area at a slower pace, and have a little fun while hearing ghost stories. I've taken several ghost tours all over the country. Whether you're a believer or skeptic, in my opinion, there is something for everyone. I took the tour with my dad who doesn't get into ghost stories, but throughout the night I saw him snapping pictures and he couldn't come up with logical answers to a few questions.

Our night started with an explanation of what to expect, along with an introduction to several "ghost hunting" instruments. As soon as our guide showed us a spirit/ghost box I was excited because I had never seen one before. Essentially they pick up what a ghost is saying and it displays on the box. As we were embarking on the tour ours popped up with "blog" which freaked me out! That's not a common word for a ghost to know - especially the ones who have been gone for centuries!

So here's where the skeptical part creeps in, because even if you believe, you have to be discerning. Did they program the spirit box for me, knowing that I'd see it? As our guide explained how each worked, we would request to use the item. When we got to the box, I asked to use it. There were four boxes and seven guests. So my thinking is that if it was programmed for me, so I'd read blog, how would they know which box to give me? They couldn't anticipate that I'd even request to use that item. Some of us were getting overlapping words. So maybe they all said blog? I did something I normally don't and announced that I was doing a blog review. I think if any other guest saw blog pop up they'd have said. Also, only three words appear at a time on the box. Sometimes the words don't change, sometimes they pop up so fast it's hard to catch them, and sometimes words repeat. My dad is the one who pointed out blog and I saw it but new words popped up so fast I didn't get a picture of the screen. The photo above is a log of words that came up during the tour, illustrating the word blog. If they were tricking me, they probably would have programmed the word to pop up several times to ensure I'd see it.

The box itself can be pretty creepy! We were all getting words like death, beware, etc. So maybe they are words that the company programmed? But then again, we experienced something that made us think it could be real. We kept getting Robert. That's my grandpa's name but it's also pretty common so no big deal. Then we got Robert, console, and funeral. We were going to my grandpa's sister's funeral in a few days. Weird. I had also seen Nana around the other three words and told my dad that the word didn't fit. That surprised him because, unknown to me, they all used to call his grandma Nana. Goosebumps!

In addition to the freaky box, the tour itself was great. Our guide was wonderful. She interacted with guests as they read messages from their boxes and asked questions, did a fantastic job of telling us stories all night, and at each stop along the way showed us photos with strange orbs, lights, and even faces(!) taken by previous tour guests.

Added scary bonus: we saw a wild bear while walking around! Our guide had warned us they often look for food late at night and we may see them in certain areas. But then it happened and we were all a bit unsure of how to react to a 300+ lb wild bear. It was about 50 yards from us and could care less that we were in the area, but the rest of the night we made sure to be aware of our surroundings.

So if you hadn't gathered yet, I highly recommend this ghost tour. Days after, we found ourselves still talking about the experience. We really enjoyed the tour - even my dad the skeptic!

To book a tour with Ghost & Haunt Tours of Gatlinburg, head on over to their site. If you book online and use code ghost2off, you'll save $2.