Phillip Noyce's "Catch a Fire" was received extremely well at last night's SAG/NOMCOM, et al screening. Rounds of applause speckled throughout as the film played to an enthusastic crowd, and to my shock, it played 100% better the second time around in my own opinion.

My initial review was certainly a negative one. This time, however...I don't know. It just got me. Last time I was undoubtedly looking with my critical eye in a tiny, kind of crappy screening room with maybe four or five other onlookers. But I don't think it was simply the crowd that got me further into the narrative last night. I think it has a lot to do with my view of our current political environment.

The recently passed Military Commissions Act might be the scariest hour in our nation's history. The notion that you or I can be jerked off the street and accused of being a terrorist, ripped of Habeas Corpus and deemed a public enemy by the order of one...solitary...man - it's terrifying. And that is exactly what happened to Patrick Chamusso. Insodoing, the Apartheid regime created a freedom fighter out of a good man, and the echoes - or at least the potential echoes - in the wake of George W. Bush confidently signing that piece of garbage into law last Tuesday really resonated with me at the Fine Arts Theater last night.

A few other things stood out as well. Like the motivations and ruthlessness of Tim Robbins' character, a character I had completely misinterpreted during the first viewing. Nic Vos's manipulations are much clearer to me now, so much so that I feel foolish for missing the beats some weeks ago.

Oh well. These things happen. I both hate it and love it when I do a 180 on a film, and this time out, I feel like "Catch a Fire" is one of the best films of the year. Go figure.

Derek Luke, Bonnie Henna and Chamusso participated in a Q&A following the screening, and the stealthy usage of Chamusso in the film's PR campaign is a stroke of brilliance. Most audiences don't expect him to be in attendance until he is announced after the credits, and it's a standing ovation each time. He's both funny and charming, has great chemistry with Luke on stage and, ultimately, adds a beautiful, human touch to the entire experience. If screenings keep going this well, Luke could slip into the Best Actor race quite easily. He's already in the thick of the hunt as it is.