Zack Snyder

Warner Bros. is urging a federal judge to move up the date on which he will hear arguments about whether the studio may release the much-anticipated movie "Watchmen," arguing that "time is of the essence," with tens of millions of dollars in marketing expenses on the line. "Watchmen," based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, is scheduled for release March 6. But the movie is at the center of a bitter legal battle between Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox. U.S.

The return of a classic drama and a new attempt at a family animated franchise will compete for the top spot at the box office this weekend, though neither is likely to be a huge hit. Twentieth Century Fox's "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," a sequel to the 1987 classic that teams Shia LaBeouf with original star Michael Douglas, opens against Warner Bros.' "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole," director Zack Snyder's animated feature adaptation of the fantasy book series for kids.

The Reader Weinstein, $29.95 The historical drama drew a mixed reaction from critics, along with some controversy over whether its potboiler story trivialized the Holocaust. But the adaptation of Bernhard Schlink's novel also garnered five Oscar nominations -- all in major categories -- and earned a win for star Kate Winslet, who plays an uneducated German woman grappling with the sins of her past. The controversy was valid.

"Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" is essentially the kids' version of "Braveheart" with owls — a dark and dense tale filled with noble warriors, mighty clashes and feathers flying (rather than kilts, whew, a relief). Though there is less blood in Ga'Hoole and nothing disemboweled, there are many raging battles, and when the fighting fowls strap on those metal talons … let's just say it's strong stuff for the young set this 3-D animated film has in its sights.

Without foley artist Gary Hecker,"Savages"would be a much quieter film. In the new thriller from director Oliver Stone based on the 2010 novel by Don Winslow, the decibels get pretty high when a Mexican drug cartel kidnaps the woman loved by two Laguna Beach pot growers. Whether the actors were loading rifles, typing on computer keyboards or simply walking across a floor, Hecker carefully re-created each sound using a room full of props on the foley stage at Todd-AO in Santa Monica.

Michael Shannon stands 6 feet, 3 inches. Big guy. Carries a big, George Costanza-size wallet too, which he plops on the table at the RH Restaurant at West Hollywood's Andaz Hotel with sincere apologies. "It's ridiculous," he says. "My whole life is in here. " A glimmer of Shannon's life can also be seen on screen in "Take Shelter," the critically praised drama in which the 37-year-old actor plays a father worried about losing his family as well as his mind. We talked to Shannon about the film, being a dad and taking on the role of the evil Gen. Zod in Zack Snyder's upcoming "Superman" reboot.

"Justice League of America" is exactly the kind of movie Warner Bros. loves to make. Based on the classic DC Comics series, the script is filled with a dream team of recognizable superheroes -- Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash -- and could not only become its own franchise, but also could spin off individual character sequels, TV shows and merchandise (Green Lantern Underoos, anyone?).

The court fight over "The Watchmen" is costing Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, but the biggest bill of all could fall to the film's producer, Larry Gordon, his lawyers and their insurers, who could be on the hook for substantially more money. Court documents in the nearly yearlong dispute over the superhero movie's distribution rights show that Warner Bros.

For the last two decades, Allen Hughes' primary renown has been based on joint credit. He and his identical twin, Albert, are known around Hollywood as the Hughes brothers, the hydra-headed filmmaking duo responsible for such breakthroughs as the blistering 1993 gangsta drama "Menace II Society" and the Denzel Washington-starring post-apocalyptic thriller "The Book of Eli" in 2010. Ask Hughes what compelled him to dissolve their enduring creative partnership to strike out on his own this year, however, and the director is likely to start talking about the Beatles.

Warner Bros. will need a new hero to invigorate its DC Comics brand on the big screen, now that director Christopher Nolan's successful Batman trilogy comes to an end with next week's "The Dark Knight Rises. " Home to such superheroes as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, DC has struggled to find the same success on the big screen as its Walt Disney Co.-owned rival Marvel Entertainment - despite having a better known collection of characters. Nolan's Batman movies have been its only hits of the past decade, surrounded by modest flops such as 2006's "Superman Returns" and 2009's "Watchmen" and such major money-losers as 2010's "Jonah Hex" and last year's "Green Lantern.