Talking film with Hakuna MaChatter
In the first of a new series, we sit down with another blogger or expert, to discuss their field of choice and what tips they can offer the rest of us.
Like me, many of you are spending a lot of time at home right now and I suspect the TV is getting quite a lot of use.
But where do you start? There is enough on either of Amazon Prime or Netflix to keep you busy for many months. On top of that there is the newly-launched Disney Plus, which brings the full Disney, Marvel and Star Wars stables to your screen. This is without mentioning the hundreds of ‘normal’ TV channels and on demand services such as iPlayer or More4.
While I could offer my own personal view on what you should turn your attention to, the truth is that there are those out there far more qualified to do so.
Meet Elliott, the man behind Hakuna MaChatter – and a person who knows far more about these things than I do.
Obviously a face-to-face meeting was not an option in the current climate, but there is a certain symmetry to talking film with someone through a screen.
As a channel, Hakuna MaChatter is about much more than just film and TV, it is a place to discuss the wider issue of diversity on our screens and it is a topic Elliott is looking to address in a slightly different vein.
“It’s so hard to find people talking positively about diversity,” he explains. “If you’re going to come over to Hakuna MaChatter, the tag line is ‘Helping you to understand better the importance of diversity in film and TV’.”
“I try not to virtue signal,” he adds. “The whole point is not me saying ‘you don’t know about this so don’t say anything’, it’s me wanting to open up those discussions and say we can have those discussions in an adult way.”
Hakuna MaChatter evolved from a previous project, The Weekly Rant, where Elliott had two self-described “zany characters” who took on topics ranging from the Wonder Woman film to travelling by Tube. But the approach was losing its lustre and as time went on Elliott’s natural passion for film and TV came through in vlogs on Doctor Who and Star Wars.
“I started doing that and it went well for a while and it started to make a lot more sense,” he says. “The community grew.
“But last year things slowed down. I knew something wasn’t right, I didn’t have the urge to sit back down and do something for the channel.”
He had been reading and realised the time had come to find a voice which meant something to him.
“I needed to find a way to do it which not only I enjoyed, but gave it a voice.”
So Hakuna MaChatter was born. Now he posts on the channel twice a week, with weekly themes including Star Wars week, sitcom week and animation week. While Wednesday’s vlog will tackle the specific subject and recommendations of what to watch in that vein, Friday is countdown day.
What to watch
So, with all these options out there, where should we start?
“Where do we begin?” he laughs. “There’s so much out there now, with the inclusion of Disney Plus there is loads. From my point of view, I would go to Disney Plus and I would watch Coco, Black Panther and Captain Marvel.
“If you have not watched the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, now is a good time to do so. Where they were going to head – and will head once were out of this situation – it is getting more diverse. But also, it’s such an incredible achievement in cinema.”
“Netflix is probably a great start point to really delve into things you might not be used to and find gems of shows. I am currently watching Bojack Horseman.
“Also, Dear White People. I know a lot of people thought it’s just for a BAME audience but it really isn’t.”
For more from Elliott and Hakuna MaChatter, check out his channel.
