Media Diaries Week 2

The Man Who Squeezes Muscles - Searching For Purple Aki

Searching for Purple Aki is a short 18-minute documentary based programme released exclusively onto BBC iPlayer, produced by the BBC. I found it through browsing the site, and finding it on the front-page on Tuesday the 20th. It certainly has a target audience of the people within Liverpool, and close districts, as everything about the documentary is rooted to the area. Even within Liverpool, not many people would of heard of the legend that is 'Purple Aki', so the people most likely to watch it would be those from the Sefton and Wirral areas, as that is were Purple Aki was most prominent in stories. People with the most knowledge of him tend to be working-class people, with more 'upper-class' citizens knowing much less of him. The purpose of this documentary was to look into the mysterious man, and the bizarre stories and cases that he apparently carried with him. Some questioned if he was real, others say they had even seen him.

Personally I was quite shocked to see this documentary produced by the BBC, due to Purple Aki being a fairly local legend. I didn't think they would take the time to cover something like this, and it quite amused me to see it. Even though I have had prior knowledge of the man, hearing stories and seeing pictures of him, I never knew to what extent how strange he actually was. The 'wanting to squeeze muscles' was as bout as weird as i thought he could get. But watching through, I found out that he wasn't as harmless as first thought. Lots of people in the area would be intrigued by this programme due to it hitting so close to home. It also can clear up some of the stories about him, and whether or not he actually existed at all! It can affect people in different ways. The people who claim to of seen him and to have had close run-in encounters with Purple Aki can be possibly shooken up by seeing this documented. They can feel like touching on the subject is sensitive for them, whilst others on the other hand would laugh at the prospect of the man being researched, as he was primarily labeled as a 'weirdo' and frequently mocked.

Breaking Bad

During this week, the media that I’ve been consuming is mostly Breaking Bad as I still haven’t finished the series and currently on the start of season 4. The time that I normally consume this is between 1am to 6am on Saturday just to finish season 3 and whenever I’m free on the weekdays such as when I finish my college work etc. Originally I found it on Netflix due to Breaking bad appearing on the home page but then my friend recommended me to watch it as they thought that it was a masterpiece so I started it and was hooked on when I finished season 1. The genre of this is; Crime film, thriller, wester and black comedy which is why it is suitable for adults only. The story is about a high school chemistry teacher who unfortunately got cancer. After discovering that he knew that he had to provide for his family when he dies therefore he becomes a ‘cook’ for crystal meth along with his past student, Jesse Pinkman.

The purpose of this is that to entertain the audience as it involves drama between the characters and therefore it provides entertainment for us. But also the storyline hooks the audience into watching their show. The TV show is produced by AMC (same network that produced ‘The Walking Dead’) Furthermore, the target audience for this is mainly for young teens and adults as this show is definitely not for children to watch as it involves violence, drug uses and sexual content however maybe this is the kind of genre, Breaking Bad audiences are into.  Obviously when I saw the ending of season 3, I had the feeling of continuing season 4 straightaway (which I did) as it left a cliff-hanger for the audience including myself because it is remarkable with an edge of the seat conclusion for a season that has played out like thriller. People like my friends that recommended me to watch this show won’t be as surprised as me due to the fact that they’re already seen it maybe once or twice and maybe more and people like the elderly might think that the tv show is rubbish because it’s not suitable for them as it is too violent and graphical. 

The Night Of: Review

*****

By Tess Penman

95% - Rotten Tomatoes

8.8/10 - IMDB

8.9/10- TV.com

The refreshing HBO crime series has been the reborn of American drama.

When lil ole' Nasir Khan, a shy, young, Queens born Muslim portrayed exceptionally by British born Riz Ahmed, finds himself stealing his father's cab to sneak out to a party, he is unaware that this reckless night out is his final night of freedom.

What is supposed to be an unforgettable night full of laughs and memories turns into an amnesiac horror story full of sex, drugs and an occasional first degree murder. Did he do it though? Poor Nas only remembers picking up now deceased Andrea portrayed by Sofia Black who plays the role of a lost and damaged girl compellingly well. Upon mistaking Nas for a legitimate cab driver - which proves to be her most costly mistake - they bond with beer by the sea and have a cocaine fused one night stand. Waking up in the kitchen with not one recollection of the night before, Nas discovers Andrea's butchered body. With no sign of a break in, neither Nas nor audience know the full story.

From break ins and midnight getaways to police custody and 48 hour interrogations, Nas's night goes from bad to worse and he is an example of being in the "wrong place wrong time". Dealing with the reputation of being a brutal murderer and rapist which he vehemently denies pleading his innocence, Nas also has the pressure of co operating with dodgy defence attorneys like Alison Crowe (Glenne Headly) who is in constant conflict with on and off lawyer, John Stone played by the riveting John Turturro who has proven to a fan favourite due to his character's likability and dark humour.

Nas realises he can't rely on attorneys for everything and he can only depend on himself to survive his nightmare reality in NY's most overcrowded prison. It is here that he comes under the guidance of Freddy Knight (played by the chilling Michael Kenneth Williams) the only person who somehow seems to believe Nas is innocent when every other cell mate violently ambushes him daily, even scalding his with boiling water. The only thing more frightening than being in a prison on the charge on rape and murder is Freddy Knight.

Although Nas's fate is unknown and his truth also remains a mystery, the audience cannot help but identify with him as his character's never-ending struggles seems strangely relatable. As his religion gives the prosecution an excuse to label Nas an Islamic terrorist due to his Pakistani heritage (he's never been outside of NY) the audience cannot help but familiarise and sympathise with Nasir and his family due to the substantial abuse they've received.

This is why I believe this incredible drama series as had critical acclaim, as it slays all stereotypes given to POC and clearly highlights the racism that is only getting worse day by day in "the land of the free".