"Prague Pride: A Documentary" Campaign

Hey guys! I just launched an IndieGoGo Campaign for this unique documentary project on gay life in Prague. I could really use your help! Check it out: Prague Pride 

Day 65: Zlin Leftovers

Day 64: Moravian Nights

Day 80: Photo Session with Frano

I was finally Frano's subject for his portfolio! Check 'em out...

Day 70: Febio Fabulous

This week was the 19th International Film Festival known as Febio Fest (don't ask me why...)! For a week, there are a gazillion films that play all day from all over the world. I was lucky enough to see two. 




Mia (Argentina)


Ale is a transvestite, living in a small community of homeless gay and trans people in a slum in Buenos Aires. They are 'cartoneros', society's outcasts who survive by collecting and recycling rubbish from the streets. One day, Ale comes across the personal diary of a young woman, Mia, who has recently died. Reading about her and her family, Ale is transported to another world, deeply touched and inspired. She decides to find Mia's ten-year-old daughter and return the diary to her. Ale's initial encounter with the girl, and her grief-stricken father, is marked by rejection.But soon she and the girl form a secret friendship. Becoming part of their family, albeit for a brief moment, helps Ale discover her own maternal desires, in this heart-warming, gentle, deeply moving drama.


A heart-warming film, but the pace was a bit slow and the acting forced at times. I think it also needed a thicker plot that focused more on Ale's struggle as an outsider. Here's the trailer (sorry, it's in Spanish): 

Damsels in Distress (USA)

A curious comedy is set at an East Coast university that started to admit women just a short time ago. A group of girls, led by Violet and her friends, Rose and Heather, set out to change the masculine environment. Their aim, however, is even more original than their leader herself: They simultaneously want to “improve” the men who feel overlooked, shy, and in need of an ego-boost. The girls take a new student, Lily, under their wings, whom they advise what to wear, who to date, and, how to work at the campus suicide center. 

I was super excited about this one... and left the theatre disappointed. It was basically a wanna-be sophisticated Mean Girls, but it bit way more off than it could chew. The visuals were a bit frustrating also. The characters were constantly in soft focus, which I understand gave the film a more ethereal and "Stepford" quality but it gave me a headache! I do, however, think this one deserves another watch due to its complexity... 

Day 63: Stop Wining

Day 63: Caving In

We took a trip a 3 day trip to Zlin in Moravia... here's our first day!

Day 53: Dancing Queen

Day 39: Having Fun at Hafan

A few weeks back a group of us got to make a stop motion animation at Hafan Studio! It was a lot of fun... but the most time consuming thing of my life and since I'm the most impatient person on the planet... it was a one time thing. The approximately 10 seconds of footage you are about to see took over 6 HOURS. Wait, what? I know.

Day 52: Set Me Up

Continuing our Barrandov Studio tour, we got to see a village being built for the show Bourgeois. Although all the rooms are empty, you wouldn't know it was a fake town until you touched the walls. Incredible!

Day 52: InapPROPriate

Took an exclusive trip to Barrandov Studio which is pretty much Czech's version of Hollywood, filled with sound stages, outdoor sets, and every prop imaginable! Some well-known films include Amadeus, James Bond, and the Chronicles of Narnia! We may have had a little too much fun... 

Day 47: Sexual Cooking II

Day 31: Pedophile Carnival II

Day 31: Pedophile Carnival I

Day 23: Sexual Cooking

An American's Biased Complaints and Appreciations

Complaints

1. All Juices are from Concentrate


Maybe this is weird... but none of the juice here is refrigerated and it's all from concentrate! I miss my fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning. I'm over the carton of drank :(


2. Hang Drying Laundry


So now I know why we have dryers in America, because hang drying clothes is a BITCH. I can only wash 10% of my shit at a time because I can't lay out all of my things to dry. And all my clothes feel stiff like cardboard after.


3. Smoking


The whole city of Prague is like an episode of Mad Men: SMOKE EVERYWHERE (and alcohol, but that's okay). You can smoke in bars and restaurants, and even schools (even though it's "frowned" upon). SUFFOCATING.


4. America's Influence distorted


I thought it would be nice to have some American comfort food like Burger King and KFC, but these places are completely warped here! The chicken strips at KFC are half the size and you have to pay 25 cents for each packet of ketchup... WHAT. It's so not American... oh... okay that makes sense. 


5. Paying to Use the Bathroom


When you gotta go, you gotta fucking go! It takes some effort to stop and pay someone to use the toilet, which is already awkward. It's 5 Kc (25 cents) but unnecessary. It's not everywhere but definitely in places where it's inconvenient.


6. Dog Shit


I'm not kidding about this one. If you don't watch your step, you'll be in deep shit.


7. Weather


This is somewhat unfair given the time of year, but it's colder than Sarah Palin's vagina. Let's "Spring" forward! 


8. OTC Meds


So you know Tylenol and Tums? Forget about it here. You need to go to a pharmacy to get OTC meds. GTFO. 

9. Cash Based Society

Quite frustrating as a foreigner who needs to pay $5 for every withdrawal. Managing cash is a lot more difficult than a credit card. I spend money like an American!

10. "Escalators are too fast." (Jana)    


Appreciations


1. Public transportation


America could learn a thing or two from the Czech Republic. You literally can get anywhere you want for little to nothing with the tram, metro, train and bus system. Stores here don't even have parking spaces! Everyone uses public transportation. Not only is it cheaper, but it's good for the environment! 


Weird fact: You technically never need to pay to use these services, it's based on a "trust" system. Trust system? In America? LOLZ. 


2. Lifestyle


Everything here is of a much slower pace. Everyone is in his or her own world and is non-intrusive and doesn't stare. I seriously think my blood pressure has lowered. My stomach doesn't hurt and I feel less anxious.


3. Dogs


Yes, they shit everywhere, but that's because you can bring them everywhere! To stores, school, and restaurants! It's bittersweet, but more sweet :) 


4. Food


Although not for everyone, as a Polish boy, I grew up on meat and potatoes, so Czech dining is a sexual experience for me. I don't want to go into too much detail (or do I!), google images please: potato dumplings, Svičková, Guláš, and ALL soup. No, I won't bring any of this stuff home. Get over it.


5. Prices


20 Kc is approximately $1... below are some examples of how much things cost: 


Beer: 25 Kc ($1.25) 


Good bottle of wine: 100 Kc and up ($5 and up) 


A More Than Decent Dinner: 100-150 Kc ($5-7) 


An Intense Cup of Coffee: 10 Kc ($0.50) 


An Amazing Time in Prague: priceless 


6. Nightlife


New York may be the city that never sleeps in America, but Prague is the equivalent in Europe. It is nice to have found a place with clubs that have people jamming until the waking hours (cough 6 AM cough cough). And thanks to an amazing public transit, there are 24 hour trams. 


7. The City 


So this city really is beautiful. I hate using that word, it makes me cringe. I feel like it's so overused that it has lost all value, but there's no other way to describe Prague. With its narrow, cobble streets and a sky that is almost touchable, it's like a painting. There's also something fantastical about this place at night, with its clock towers and desolate churches. It transforms. 


8. Beer and Wine


Some people live off bread and water, and Czechs live off beer and wine. It's not uncommon to have beer for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Why? 1) It's cheap 2) It's delicious 3) Why not? Czech aren't alcoholics, but they tolerate their strong beer and wine pretty darn well. For foreigners, by the end of your third beer, it's easy to temporarily forget where you are. 


9. The Arts


There is so, so, so much to do here that it's hard to find time to practice my Britney dances (you think I'm joking?) There are film festivals, art exhibits, museums, concerts, and shows happening all the time at  extremely reasonable prices. I will clone myself so I can fully experience the many activities. 




10. Drinkable Tap Water


This is my favorite thing: you can drink the toilet water here! No you can't, but I'm sure it's really, really clean. All faucet water is totally drinkable and it tastes good. They even say that tap water is sometimes better than bottled water. Suck it ZephryhillsDasaniAquafina! 

Day 20: Dancing On My Own

In my own world at club Chapeau Rouge. 3 floors, 3 different vibes. Thanks for spy recording Ashley and Jana! 

Day 15: Nice Camera, Lula

Lula and I decided to stroll around Prague to play with her amazing Canon EOS 5D. We took some beauty shots and then ended up in a thrift store! Check some of them out:

Day 11: I Feel Blue(s)

So this night I went to this pretty awesome place called U Maleho Glena. It's a bar & restaurant and jazz & blues club. And if any of you know me at all, I LOVE jazz, I like I can't get enough of it, I have posters all over my room of you know, typical artists, and I own a harmonica. Lies.


So I've never really had any interest in blues, but ahoj (hello) to new experiences! What makes this place cool is when you go down these stairs to the basement, there's this cute little bar and then through this archway is pretty much this "personal" concert venue. This room is smaller than my kitchen! It holds around 20 people and you can literally smell the sweat on the band because you're so fucking close!


The original plan was to see this hot shot Stan the Man, but for some reason, he couldn't make it so this hybrid blues group stepped in. When they first started playing, they were good. After 2 (3? 4?) bottles of wine, they were AMAZING. 200 Kc ($10) for entry was a semi high price tag, but it was a great way to experience music and totally worth it!


Lula, stop clawing my shoulder. Do my lips look purple? I know...

Day 10: Prague Periphery

Day 9: Czech These Student Short Films, Sweden!

I'm an official film festival whore (after just 2...) and was pretty stoked about the the Czech Film Center iShorts because 1) It was only 60 Kc (3 fucking dollars) 2) It came with a free DVD of 12 shorts! 3) Alcohol.  This was a film screening for film students at Czech film schools. A committee selected the best 6 films submitted to screen on this night. Let me just say... 

HOLY. SHIT. WOW. GTFO. 

Okay, so part of my intense reaction is do to a few glasses (4) of wine and a beer (2)... BUT look out Sweden! These 20 somethings know there stuff. I just couldn't believe how professional they all were. The stories were damn solid and all very pretty to watch. Bravo Czech students! Bravo! Here's a little summary of my favorites: 

Dessert

So this one was pretty fucking weird, but it was such a cool animated piece I got over it. So this waiter watches this couple eat pasta together and suddenly this bitch eats her date... she swallows him! So the waiter kind of freaks out and runs to the kitchen and has this really bizarre fantasy: this naked guy pours whip cream over this naked woman and eats her piece by piece... they show blood which made me cringe but it was a pretty unique little film. 

5 CZK

This little documentary called 5 CZK gets 5 gold stars! It follows the lives of a few women who run the restroom facilities in Czech. Typically, you need to pay 5 CZK (20 cents) to use the bathroom. Some of the personal stories of these ladies were insane. This student (filmmaker?) got some nice footage. 

TUMORrow Never Knows 

This other animated piece was pretty cute. An old lady discovers a tumor on her neck. But wait... it talks and they become besties! Nuff' said. 

Non-Swimmers

Definitely my favorite. No question. It was just so well-made and was finally a student short with some decent acting. It's difficult to explain, but basically this girl stays with a relative for the summer and meets this group of kids she tries to befriend, but they don't really like her. She has sex with one of the guys and is later humiliated. The ending is pretty ambiguous, but not in a good way. My only complaint.

Day 5: Sweden Likes Drunk Babies

I attended the 7th Annual Prague Short Film Festival. Sunday featured the Swedish shorts and BOY was I surprised with what I saw... Generally, they were all well-shot and framed cinematically, but the stories were either completely ridiculous or I was left quite unsatisfied by the end. 


Here's a brief summary of each: 


Girl


A very "Day In The Life" kind of film. This 30 year old woman decides to go home with a stranger she meets at a drug store to party with a bunch of 20 year olds. They do cocaine and one of the guy puts his dick in her drink when she goes to the bathroom. Not much happens... 

In

A man is called by an acquaintance who needs help. They must find a lost toy inside a train tunnel. In the middle of the night. Meant to be a horror film, it had me at the edge of my seat until the end, but left me SO unsatisfied. Nothing scary actually happens, and the ending was pretty confusing.

13 Related Sewing Machines 

This one is about a group of women sewing. Did the title give it away? There is no talking, but there was something really interesting and intriguing about it. By the end, I started to appreciate sewing as an art form, a way of life for people. I loved the way it was shot. Simple but powerful. 

Twin

Gustav is a hard working architect and a passionate free-diver. He practices holding his breath in his car, at work and even while sleeping, which results in a hissing noise that keeps his girlfriend awake. He goes to see a doctor, who discovers something strange in Gustav’s throat. The outcome is both unpleasant and comical. It turns out there is a miniature Gustav (who he calls Oscar) in his throat! So he ends up taking care of him and he grows to become his twin. They end up being quite different people, and Gustav discovers that he is quite a boring person himself. At the end, Gustav pushes Oscar into the ocean and holds him at the bottom.This was my favorite of the films because it had the best story. It was engaging and had a great way of shifting from a comical tone to a morbid one. I like how it's up to the viewer to determine if they both live or die. 

Music For One Xmas and Six Drummers 


This one was absolutely hilarious. I can't say much about it, just watch. 

Palmas 

Oh goodness.. what to say about this one. Yes, it was funny, but also there was something eery about it. Please watch.