Curious incident of a healthy dose of culture

My plan to see more culture to get me through winter continues apace. On Friday I saw "The Theory of Everything" - an absolutely amazing film; moving and beautifully portraying the characters and the shifting of time. Highly emotional and tears were shed several times by me. I'd give it 5 stars (out of 5).

On Saturday we were at the Lowry Theatre above for the last day of the play of "The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night Time". The set was fabulous, with this grid subtly changing to become streets, the insides of houses, the underground railway and more. The soundtrack was good too and the lights. The play itself at about 2 hours 20 minutes was too long for me. I can cope with long pieces of art -  music or films - if they hold my attention, but a ten minute segment where the father took his son's clothes off to put him to bed, in silence, was 10 minutes too much for me. 2.5 stars.

We were all at home as a family on Sunday night, which is a rarity in itself and watching Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" was an accidental masterstroke (The DVD was only put on due to an A level English course but we all ended up watching, enthralled). It was one of those rare occasions where I feel the film was far better than the book- filmed as it was in a slightly surreal way with plenty of clever contrasting imagery and effects which added to the drama and dreaminess. The modern soundtrack was a good twist too (so that we could all relate to the 1920s hedonistic partygoers- rather than merely seeing them as extras from a bygone era) along with the Gershwin classics scattered throughout and a lovely track by The XX to end with. Highest praise and 5 stars.

Yesterday's culture dose was the Monday Recital Series at the RNCM. Francis Poulenc's 1962 Oboe Sonata FP 185 was wonderfully performed by Amy Roberts on oboe and Philip Sharp on piano. This was followed by breathtaking piano skills from Ewa Tytman Csiba, playing her fellow countryman Chopin's Nocturne in E flat major Op 55 No 2 and Fantasy in F minor Op 49. Without a score too! Stunning and another 5 stars from me.

Sharing my cultural kicks with Our World Tuesday.