Last Train Home.

During the spring I was in Hong Kong, in time to catch the Hong Kong International Film Festival. There were plenty of films being shown on screens all over the city, but after browsing the catalog I thought I'd catch Last Train Home. At the time, I was in Hong Kong waiting for my Chinese visa to come through, and I thought I'd be taking the train north, so a film about one family's experience with its annual journey home for New Year seemed like an appropriate choice.

The US trailer gives some context for audiences who might not be as familiar with the whole Chunyun phemomenon:

And this seven minute clip gives a sense of the family conflict director Lixin Fan was able to capture in the film:

If you get a chance, I'd definitely recommend seeing it. http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/playdates_new.php?directoryname=lasttrainhome has a list of dates.

In Boston, it's currently showing at the Coolidge Corner in Brookline, the Kendall in Cambridge, and the West Newton Cinema. In New York, it's now at the IFC Center. In San Francisco, it's at the Shattuck in Berkeley, the Lumiere and the Four Star in SF, and Camera 3 in San Jose. It's also playing in Hartford and many other cities around the country. But check the above URL for more detailed info.

Well, that's too bad.

From a post a year ago on http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=59387549761&topic=6649:

The days of the legendary Grey Lynn Park Flying Fox that was situated down the hill by the Williamson Avenue entrance, is unfortunately dead and buried.

Alas. It was near here.

A fun zip-line. I guess they call them Flying Foxes there. I noticed it while walking through the neighborhood on my way to Ponsonby one afternoon, gave it a ride. Now I'm really glad I did, because I think I'd regret not having done so.

Always meant to go try it again the next time I was in Auckland.

http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/places/playgrounds/default.asp has a list of playgrounds, including facilities. The flying foxes are designed for kids, but I'm clearly not the only adult who has been using them, since the above Facebook post is reviews of these things for adults.