My second viewing of Steve McQueen‘s 12 Years A Slave (Fox Searchlight, 10.18) will happen tomorrow night at the DGA. Brilliant as it is, I was asking myself after my first viewing in Telluride whether I’d want to see it twice. It’s not an easy sit, but the discipline and directness that informs every frame is undeniable. My first thought was “this is a masterpiece.” One reason I’m going is to gauge audience reactions during the after-party. Screenwriter John Ridley (also the director-writer of All Is By My Side, the Jimi Hendrix biopic) spoke to HuffPost Live’s Ricky Camilleri a few days ago. Ridley, you can sense immediately, is quite the diplomat.
