Red Corner: Karlovy Vary Film Festival

by Neil Woodburn on

If you find yourself anywhere near the Czech Republic in the next few days make sure to swing by the beautiful spa resort town of Karlovy Vary where the 41st annual Karlovy Vary Film Festival kicked off on Friday.

Nestled in the mountains near the German border and famous throughout history for its thermal springs, Karlovy Vary is well worth a visit on its own outside of the film festival.

The city, however, cranks it up a notch June 30 – July 8th when “over 220 feature films and up to 40 short films from all over the world” compete in various categories, including one dedicated solely to films from the former communist bloc. 14 of the festival selections this year will be world premiers, including Edmond, a David Mamet script staring William H. Macy, Joe Mantegna and Rebecca Pidgeon.

Special guests this year will include Andy Garcia (who will receive the Crystal Globe award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema), Terry Gilliam, Timothy Hutton, Jacqueline Bisset, John Irving, and others.

Word for the Travel Wise (07/01/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Just spent a short amount of time poking around the Czech Rep tourism site and came across some eye-popping photos used to suck tourists in like a vacuum. Places like Domazlice, Cheb, or the Kopic Estate weren’t on my mind before, but I’m sure they’ll somehow find themselves in my late night dreams.

Today’s word is a Czech word used in the Czech Republic:

panelák – apartment block

Hit up Wikipedia for the background details on the Czech language. It is consider one of the world’s most difficult languages to learn due to the extensive morphology and free word order. Bohemica is a great, extensive, online starting point for new students. Their site is free from what I can tell and includes additional sources to helpful books and offline learning. Also, check out Amazon to purchase the Lonely Planet phrasebook and other beginner’s guides.

Past Czech words: zmrzl

Czech Pano of US Soccer Team Loss

by Erik Olsen on

Well, the American soccer team didn’t fare particularly well against the apparently much better Czech team, and that is sad. Don’t know what I was hoping for exactly. I mean, it’s not like the US team was going to get very far, anyway…but the FIRST game? I mean, shucks. So much for world domination. At least we still have smart bombs.

Well for those who like their noses stuck into the poo poo of defeat, you might very much enjoy this panoramic photo shot in Prague of Czech fans watching the annihilation of the US team on a big screen. A buddy of mine who’s in Prague sent this to me and I just found it really, really cool….even though I am sad for the US team. Of particular note in the shot is the raggedy, homeless guy who seems to be directing the team to victory with his mind, and the shot down the cleavage of the woman sitting. Of course, this being Prague, we would have expected a slightly better-looking young woman, but I suppose that is the nature of spontaneity.

Try the All-New Hot Flash Lager

by Erik Olsen on

Leave it to the Czechs to mix two things that might
seem to most of us unmixable: beer and menopause. Yes, you heard that right. The miserable woes of no longer producing
eggs, the hot flashes, the sleeping troubles, the moodiness, that funny smell (jk!)…all might possibly be relived if
some Czech food scientists have their way. They are developing a new
low-kilojoule, low-alcohol beer that contains heightened levels of phytoestrogen, a form of the hormone estrogen
that is found in plants. Estrogen, remember, is what declines in menopausal women, leading to the afore-mentioned hot
flashes et al.

The beer is being developed by the wonderfully named Research Institute of Brewing and
Malting, and while there is no word on when the first bottle of this fine new brew will be on the store shelves, I am
very eager to know what they plan on calling it. Estro-Ale? Hot-flash Lager? Moodibrew? Inquiring minds want to know.

Red Corner: Czech Beer

by Neil Woodburn on

There is almost nothing in life Czechs love more than their beer. Sure, they’ve got great tennis and hockey players and some fine authors, but when it comes right down to it, the Czechs are far more passionate about the beer their country brews, than anything else that comes out of the Czech Republic. In fact, one of the first things Czechs will tell you about their country is that pilsner-style beer was first developed there.

Choosing a beer while visiting the Czech Republic is like choosing a wine in France-so many choices, so little time. Thankfully The Prague Post has printed a handy cheat sheet detailing local types of beers (pilsners, porters, dark lagers, etc) and recommendations for each of these categories. So, if you’re a fan of porters, for example, The Prague Post recommends you try Pardubické next time you visit the Czech Republic.

Read the list wisely and you won’t end up doing what friends of mine did on their first visit to Prague when they accidentally picked up a case of beer with the phrase bez alkohol printed on the label. It took them four or five beers each before realizing their error: bez means without.