When you think of guy movies, you probably think of casino movies and gangster movies. Both genre of films have had a strong following over the last few decades and some have been among the highest grossing films ever. Let's take a look at some of the highest grossing casino and gangster films ever.

Based on a series of best-selling novels by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games is poised to be a solid hit for distributor Lionsgate when it arrives in theatres this March. Fueled by a fervent fanbase, the film should post a strong opening weekend and with some positive word of mouth (and a little bit of luck), it could remain strong throughout the month of April. The film essentially has five weeks to prove itself before it gets lost among the summer releases, officially kicking off on May 4^th with the release of Marvel’s highly anticipated superhero ensemble flick, The Avengers. 

Oh well, that’s $50 and two hours of my life that I’ll never get back. Zack Snyder’s fantasy epic Sucker Punch is perhaps the worst movie I’ve ever seen. The film is weightless, soulless and lacks any semblance of story or narrative cohesion. In reality, Snyder has made the world’s first long form music video.

Believe me… I’m just as surprised as you are by how high I’m scoring The Green Hornet. Ever since seeing the trailer for the first time months ago, I’ve expected this film to be garbage of epic proportions. I’m here to tell you I was completely wrong and delighted to be so. The Green Hornet is a hugely fun, action filled romp that never takes itself too seriously. I know that sometimes lowered expectations for a film can make it seem better than it actually was (and that might slightly be true in this case), but I truly enjoyed most of the movie. It does sag under its own weight for a little while in the middle, but for the most part, Seth Rogen and friends have done the impossible; create a superhero comedy hybrid that works well on both levels.

Skyline starts out promising enough but instead of becoming more engrossing as it goes on, it becomes laborious. The film just becomes stupider and stupider with each passing frame. In fact, everything about Skyline gets worse and worse as the film plays on; performances, story, script and even the special effects. All in all, Skyline makes last year’s District 9 look positively Shakespearean in contrast.

Due Date, director Todd Phillips follow up to his smash comedy hit The Hangover is merely an okay movie, displaying none of the comic highlights that made his last film a comedy classic. With the pedigree behind Due Date, it should’ve been the funniest comedy of the year. Instead, the film is a flaccid, uninspired, somewhat amusing road trip movie. At times, it seems like Due Date is about to deliver some big laughs, but it always somehow falls short of the mark. How did this happen? Not only does it star Robert Downey Jr., arguably one of the best actors around and a sizable comic talent, but he is joined by the breakout star of The Hangover, Zach Galifianakis. This movie should’ve been comedy gold, so what happened?

Paranormal Activity 2 tries really hard to stick to the formula that made the first film so successful and largely it succeeds in doing so, but the magic, so to speak, is gone. That’s not to say that PA 2 is a bad movie, it’s not, it’s just not as good as the original. The first film was like catching lightning in a bottle and that is nearly impossible to pull off twice. 

The creation of Facebook, the social media website that has been seamlessly woven into the fabric of our culture, is an engaging, thought provoking tale. Based on the true story of Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of the global phenomenon, The Social Network is a fascinating movie that blends courtroom intrigue, backstabbing and duplicity with taut, multi-layered performances. There is little doubt that David Fincher’s film will be remembered at the Oscars this year. The big question is how audiences will react to Mark Zuckerberg; is he a backstabbing jerk who betrayed his friends or just a guy who got wrapped up in something bigger than himself? Perhaps it is a little bit of both. Opinions will vary of course, but that’s exactly the point of a great film, to stir up debate.

Sylvester Stallone has assembled a myriad of actions stars both past and present for his macho, testosterone laced, action flick throwback to the 80’s The Expendables and largely he has succeeded. The action is sleek and riveting and will excite just about anyone into this sort of mayhem. The problem with the film is some of the scenes that take place between the carnage. It would be easy to blame this on Stallone’s script, but the truth is, the only reason some of the scenes don’t work is due to the acting chops of some of the “actors” onscreen.   Let’s face it, master thespians, most of these guys are not (why am I sounding like Yoda?). No one ever expects Jet Li or Dolph Lundgren to be nominated for an Oscar. 

The Other Guys is a funny movie no doubt about it, it just doesn’t reach the comedic highs of Will Ferrell’s best films. As such I’m reviewing this film as a comparison to his earlier work. There are plenty of ridiculous moments and demented lines in the script written by director and frequent collaborator, Adam McKay (along with Chris Henchy), but the film never reaches the lunacy of Ferrell and McKay’s other films together.