Those of you who've seen "The Hunger Games" will more than likely agree with our sentiment that there are a number of things to love about the weekend's box-office dominator.
The film's success is first and foremost due to author Suzanne Collins'
brilliance, followed by director Gary Ross' sleek and stylish take on
the adaptation and, of course, the performances of the very talented
cast.
One of those standout performances is Josh Hutcherson's
portrayal of loyal and lovable boy with the bread Peeta Mellark. He's
so good in the film we just can't wait to see what he does with the
character's arc in "Catching Fire." Unfortunately, we have to wait
about 20 months until that happens, so in the meantime.
First up is the R-rated teen horror/comedy film "Detention,"
which hits select theaters April 13. In the uniquely twisted and
slightly outrageous film, Hutcherson plays Clapton Davis, a student of
Grizzly Lake High School just trying to make it through the school year
when slasher-movie killer Cinderhella descends on the school and goes
on a killing spree. "Detention" played at last year's South by
Southwest film festival and received many surprised-but-delighted reactions. It also stars Dane Cook, Shanley Caswell and Spencer Locke.
After watching a different side of Hutcherson's skills in
"Detention," look for the coming-of-age drama "Carmel," in which
Hutcherson plays an artistically gifted teenager who is abandoned by
his drug-addicted mother and ends up in the small seaside town of
Carmel, California, where he is introduced to the art-forgery
community. Hayden Panettiere and Alfred Molina also star. According to
the film's Facebook
page, the release date for the film will be sometime in June, to be
timed with the DVD/Blu-ray releases of "Hunger Games" and "Journey 2."
In November, we'll get to see more of Hutcherson's action-movie
skills in the remake of the 1984 film "Red Dawn," the release of which
has been long-delayed due to the studio's financial troubles. The story
revolves around a group of teenagers who resist the occupation/invasion
of a foreign army in their town. Hutcherson stars alongside Chris
Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Adrianne Palicki and Isabel Lucas.
After "Red Dawn" comes out, we very likely won't see Hutcherson
on the big screen again until next year, when "Catching Fire" is
released November 22, 2013.