Bella and Rosalie: Kristen Stewart, Nikki Reed ECLIPSE Clip (“Rosalie’s Advice to Bella”)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48Bw2Ahet_Y[/youtube]

Rosalie Cullen (Nikki Reed) gives Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) some advice — that becoming a vampire isn't such a good idea — in David Slade's The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. This is the actual Eclipse clip — unlike the one posted on this site a few days ago, taken from Ellen DeGeneres' show in which Reed was a guest. (Robert Pattinson was DeGeneres' guest the next day.)

The good news is that the "Rosalie's Advice to Bella" clip looks crisp and well-lit, with soft colors for an indoor, understated scene, courtesy of cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe. The bad news is that both Melissa Rosenberg's dialogue and Stewart's and Reed's performances are very, very weak. I'm unfamiliar with Reed's work elsewhere, but Stewart has proven she can be a truly good actress, which makes this Rosalie/Bella clip all the more disappointing.

Those who dislike the Twilight series can always blame Stephenie Meyer's source material, but good movies have been made out of trashy novels and stage plays; just like bad movies have been made out of great novels and plays.

For instance, I can't understand why Slade chose to shoot this scene as if Eclipse were a soap opera. Also, I can't understand why some of Bella's dialogue wasn't cut — the less she has to say, the more credible Stewart's/Bella's reaction shots are. And despite all the white powder on her face and the fake blond hair, not once does Reed come across as the vampire described in Meyer's novel. In fact, she doesn't come across like a vampire at all.

The Eclipse action scenes look great in the trailers, and I expect them to look just as good in the movie itself. But the dramatic clips I've seen have mostly fallen flat. (I still think Robert Pattinson does an acceptable job in the confrontation scene with Jacob.)

That's why Bill Condon may turn out to be a life-saver for the series. Condon does well with actors. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn will surely need that.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens in the United States and about a dozen other countries on June 30.

Clip: Summit Entertainment