Readers’ surprising suggestions provide humor and horror
As I search far and wide for the best movies and television shows to snuggle up with this fall season, I turned to another round of reader suggestions, which took me to countries and time periods I haven’t had the chance to explore yet.
Unexpectedly, this week’s theme ended up being the magic of buddy comedies and adventures with the unlikeliest stories and pairings.
Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart might not be the first people that come to mind with this trope. But their journey in “The African Queen” might qualify them as the cutest duo to set sail in German East Africa during World War I.
Rose (Hepburn) and her brother are British missionaries stationed in the village of Kungdu at the beginning of the war. Their mail and supplies are delivered via a small steamboat, named
the African Queen, which is operated by Canadian mechanic Charlie Allnut (Bogart, who is quite unrecognizable in this role). One day, German troops storm the village and burn it down. Rose’s brother is beaten by an officer and dies shortly after.
This is where our buddy adventure starts. Rose and Charlie decide to skip town and set sail on the African Queen. While on their journey, Rose has a wild idea that will likely get them in a lot of trouble, or worse, killed. After learning that the British can’t attack the Germans due to the presence of a large gunboat, she hatches a plan to turn the African Queen into a torpedo boat and sink the gunboat. Charlie, understandably, is against the plan and thinks she’s crazy, but Rose knows what she wants and will stick to it.
More than just this grand plan, the two get into some trouble with wild rapids, but Rose is enthralled by the rush. I was ready to write Rose off as a character in the beginning, but this quiet missionary quickly shows audiences that there’s a lot more to her.
I don’t think you need me to tell you just how great Hepburn and Bogart are when it comes to their performances. Bogart earned his one and only best actor Oscar, and while I thought he deserved it for several other roles, his charisma and playfulness shined in this role. Hepburn, too, surprised me with her silly and adventure-seeking side. I always thought they’d be too serious for these kinds of roles, but seeing these two screen legends together will make you smile for almost two hours.
“The African Queen” is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Readers have also recommended a new TV series that I think will appeal to a lot of you out there as well, as long as you don’t mind gore.
Netflix’s “Kingdom” is an interesting genre-bending series that is equal parts drama, political thriller and zombie horror. You might have never thought this was possible, but what can’t Netflix come up with at this point?
This South Korean series (which can be dubbed in English), set during the Joseon period, begins with news of the King of Joseon falling ill. Very few are allowed to see him, not even Crown Prince Lee Chang, the current heir to the throne. When he does sneak into the palace, he comes across something, or someone, terrifying. Unsatisfied with the information provided on his father’s well-being, the prince decides to take matters into his own hands and investigate this strange plague and other behindthe-scenes conspiracies with his bodyguard.
Elsewhere, a doctor who last treated the king returns to his town with the corpse of his assistant who clearly did not have the best time at the palace. His patients are suffering from starvation and are in desperate need of food — and I mean any food source. After the town feasts on what is claimed to be deer meat (I think we can assume it’s something else), everyone mysteriously becomes sick and dies. Unfortunately, that’s the not the end of these villagers’ tales.
This show grabbed my attention instantly. As a horror fan, I was very pleased to see zombies integrated with a political drama and medical mystery. I didn’t realize how much I needed this mashup in my life, but I’m so glad a reader put this on my radar.
Two seasons of “Kingdom” are available to stream on Netflix. I haven’t gotten quite through the first season, but I’m looking forward to what the writers have in store in later episodes.
The Californian’s Ema Sasic can be reached at esasic@bakersfield.com or 661-3957392. Follow her on Twitter: @ema_sasic.