Grayson Perry's Insightful Look at AI's Terrifying Onset
In a new Channel 4 documentary titled 'Grayson Perry Has Seen the Future,' the acclaimed artist and national treasure provides a deeply insightful and frequently terrifying exploration of artificial intelligence. According to reviewer Lucy Mangan, Perry is the ideal figure to question the experts in this field, offering a unique perspective on the rapid advancements and potential dangers of AI technology. The documentary has sparked significant discussion, with Perry himself commenting on AI's use of his work, describing himself as unbothered by the technology's appropriation of artistic styles.
Top TV Picks of the Week
Beyond Perry's documentary, this week's culture highlights include several notable television programs. 'A Gorilla Story: Told By David Attenborough' on Netflix revisits a family of apes that Attenborough famously encountered fifty years ago, offering a nostalgic and emotional journey for viewers. Stuart Heritage notes that this feels like one of the last opportunities to learn from the beloved broadcaster, making it a must-watch for fans.
Another standout is 'Zero Stars' on Discovery+, where comedians Sara Pascoe and Roisin Conaty subvert the traditional celebrity travelogue by seeking out the world's worst destinations. Heritage praises the hosts for their brilliant performance, particularly highlighting Conaty's enthusiasm after previous screen-based work.
For those interested in social media insights, 'Inside the Rage Machine' on BBC iPlayer features whistleblowers from Meta and X revealing shocking truths about these platforms. Lucy Mangan describes the revelations as quite something, with the machinations of these companies laid bare in under an hour.
Film Highlights: From Mystery to Melodrama
In cinema, Christian Petzold's 'Miroirs No 3' stars Paula Beer as a depressed pianist in an elegantly unnerving mystery that delves into themes of grief and family dysfunction. Reviewer Peter Bradshaw appreciates the film's avoidance of a macabre twist, instead heading towards a positive and redemptive conclusion, which adds to its intriguing atmosphere.
Other film recommendations include Ferzan Özpetek's 'Diamanti,' a luscious-looking 1970s costume melodrama that explores the lives of seamstresses working on a period drama. Lesle Felperin finds it irresistible, especially for fans of queer-accented celebrations of women. Additionally, 'Rebuilding' features Josh O'Connor in a subdued drama about a rancher recovering after a wildfire, with Bradshaw commending O'Connor's sympathetic performance.
The classic Japanese animation 'Akira' returns to cinemas with its startling message of global annihilation, described by Bradshaw as having a thanatonic rapture in its vision of world rebirth. On streaming platforms, 'Endless Cookie' on Mubi offers trippy tales of First Nations life through loopy, hallucinatory animation, praised by Phil Hoad for its self-interrupting and lampooning style.
Books and Music: Celebrating Avant-Garde and Traditional Sounds
In literature, Deborah Levy's 'My Year in Paris With Gertrude Stein' is an exuberant celebration of the avant-garde writer, with reviewer Lucy Hughes-Hallett noting it as a meditation rather than an explanation. Other book picks include Greg Doran's 'Walking Shadow: Love, Loss and Shakespeare,' which combines Shakespeare scholarship with a human story of grief, and Caro Claire Burke's 'Yesteryear,' a novel about a tradwife influencer living in 1805, though it receives mixed reviews for its execution.
For music enthusiasts, Lucy Liyou's album 'Mr Cobra' explores power imbalance through skittish melodies and nursery rhymes, with Hugh Morris highlighting its eclectic textures. Traditional Tanzanian music is captured in 'Asili ya Mama,' featuring infectious call-and-response singing, while Samuel Hasselhorn's 'Schubert Hoffnung' offers a rapt intimacy in its all-Schubert disc. Jessie Ware's 'Superbloom' continues her retro sequin-festooned style, with Alexis Petridis noting its quality despite being a retrenchment.
On tour, the Brodsky Quartet and William Barton present an eclectic evening mixing folk songs, Janáček, and music from Australia and New Zealand, praised by Erica Jeal for its beautiful and unapologetically eclectic fashion.
