Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson Kiss & Twilight Marathon

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson kiss: Bella attempts to seduce Edward in David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

May 13: Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart’s kiss in the picture above is a consequence of the very human and very, very confused Bella Swan’s attempt to seduce the vampire Edward Cullen in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

In Stephenie Meyer’s novel Bella’s seduction try-out is best described as awkward. Both human and vampire are virgins. She wishes she were a vampire; he wishes he were a human being – or at least something other than a “monster” without a soul. (Edward doesn’t believe vampires have souls.) Reason for all that wishing: Bella and Edward would then be able to remain together forever or at least till death did them part as a united, happy couple.

For the time being, however, they both must face enormous hurdles, from Edward’s decision that they’ll have sex only after marriage to Bella being the target of both a psychopathic vampire (Bryce Dallas Howard) and a lovestruck werewolf (Taylor Lautner), both of whom keep getting in the way of the two lovers.

Needless to say, things don’t go quite as Bella had planned in Meyer’s novel. Despite some extra kissing and lovemaking in the meadow, Bella’s relationship with Edward won’t get all that physically intimate until they get married in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, which should start filming in the fall with Bill Condon at the helm.

No matter how much darker and more daring than Meyer’s bestseller, don’t expect things to proceed any differently in David Slade’s film version of Eclipse, considering that the Summit release adapted by Melissa Rosenberg, who has also handled the adaptation of the original Twilight and The Twilight Saga: New Moon, is PG-13 material. The Motion Picture Association of America’s Classification and Ratings Administration has given Slade’s movie the PG-13 rating for “intense sequences of action and violence, and some sensuality.” After all, Eclipse is a summer movie. A dismemberment or two is allowed, but no hot-and-steamy sex, please.

Breaking Dawn, however bizarre its storyline and events, will surely also be kept tame enough so as to avoid the dreaded R rating that would make it difficult for millions of teenagers to watch the film(s).

Even so, the passionate kiss seen in the picture at the top of this post may earn Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart a Best Kiss nomination for next year’s MTV Movie Awards and People’s Choice Awards. Both Pattinson and Stewart are in the running for this year’s MTV Movie Awards for The Twilight Saga: New Moon, including a nod for their kissing scene in that movie. Stewart’s kissing scene with Dakota Fanning in The Runaways has also earned her a nomination. Stewart, in fact, is up for four MTV Movie Awards; Robert Pattinson is up for three.

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart: Edward and Bella in a romantic scene in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) in another romantic, beautiful screenshot from David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Javier Aguirresarobe is the film’s accomplished cinematographer. Both the indoor and the outdoor scenes found in the Eclipse trailers are beautifully arty.

Eclipse‘s predecessor, The Twilight Saga: New Moon broke the opening-day box office record in North America, earning more than $72 million in the U.S. and Canada in fall 2009. Don’t be too surprised if Eclipse beats that record. In fact, don’t be too surprised if Eclipse beats The Dark Knight’s record (about $158 million) for best debut weekend ever in North America.

Those figures haven’t been adjusted for inflation. But as has been pointed out elsewhere at Alt Film Guide, movies in the past didn’t open at 2,000, 3,000 or 4,000 locations like in the last couple of decades. So, of course movies released in the last decade or so will have a much better chance of reaching the widest possible audience right away – if they don’t, they disappear rather quickly, especially now that the DVD/VOD route has been shortened.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse will open in the United States on June 30. Melissa Rosenberg adapted Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel.

Xavier Samuel plays Riley, a newborn vampire who will make life very difficult for both Robert Pattinson’s kind vampire Edward Cullen and Kristen Stewart’s befuddled human Bella Swan in David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

Behind all this is the vengeful vampire Victoria, played by Bryce Dallas Howard (Rachelle Lefevre in both Twilight and The Twilight Saga: New Moon), who wants to do Bella in because Edward killed her lover James, who, for his part, had also wanted to do Bella in. Translation: Bella means trouble.

Newborn vampires are super-strong because they have all that still-flowing human blood from which they can draw their strength. That’s one reason why they’ve been wreaking havoc in Seattle, just a hop away from the small town of Forks, where vampires, werewolves, and humans live in either tense harmony or blissful ignorance.

Adapted by Melissa Rosenberg from Stephenie Meyer’s novel, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse will open in the United States on June 30.

Dakota Fanning is the star of this The Twilight Saga: Eclipse clip recently released by Summit Entertainment. It’s unclear why Summit chose to release this particular clip, as neither the dialogue nor the acting is of the highest caliber.

But if the actors and Melissa Rosenberg’s writing make this Eclipse bit feel and sound campy, Javier Aguirresarobe’s cinematography is right on target. Its darkish blue tints are perfect both in terms of look – newborn vampires are making a bloody mess in Seattle – and character. After all, it’s hardly as if the Volturi, cold-blooded and cold-hearted vampire royalty, have the shiniest of personalities.

Now, why does Daniel Cudmore’s Felix call the royal vampire Aro “Ah-ro” while Fanning’s Jane calls him “Arrow”? Perhaps a case of “I say potayto you say potahto” – but within the same group of people? (This scene, I might add, is not to be found in Stephenie Meyer’s novel; the other two actors in it are Cameron Bright as Alec and Charlie Bewley as Demetri.)

Daniel Cudmore, Dakota Fanning, Cameron Bright, and Charlie Bewley play the Volturi envoys Felix, Jane, Alec, and Demetri, in David Slade’s upcoming The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. ()

In the third installment of the phenomenally popular Twilight series, Kristen Stewart is the human Bella Swan, in love with both the vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and the werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Bella’s two-pronged love may spell trouble between vampires and werewolves, who are natural enemies.

All the while, Seattle is being ravaged by mysterious deaths and disappearances. A vindictive vampire (played Bryce Dallas Howard) is behind it all, but as can be attested in the Eclipse clip above, the Volturi – well, Jane, at least – seem unwilling to act.

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart as Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in Eclipse‘s meadow scene

David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse has received a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America’s Classification and Ratings Administration.

Starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner as the three corners of an unusual love triangle (vampire-human-werewolf), The Twilight Saga: Eclipse received a PG-13 rating for “intense sequences of action and violence, and some sensuality,” as reported at Box Office Mojo.

Both Catherine Hardwicke’s sleeper blockbuster Twilight (2008) and Chris Weitz’s even more successful The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) were rated PG-13 as well. Twilight‘s rating was due to “some violence and a scene of sensuality,” whereas New Moon earned it for “some violence and action.”

The statement “intense sequences of action and violence” clearly means – as everyone already knew just by looking at the film’s final trailer – that Eclipse will feature much more violence than the previous two installments of the popular franchise. Summit Entertainment wants to attract more male moviegoers so as to ensure that Eclipse will spend more weekends at the top – or at least very near the top – of box office charts around the world.

Last year, New Moon suffered a steep 70 percent drop-off rate on its second weekend and lost another 64 percent of its audience on the third weekend.

May 31

Kristen Stewart (above, as Twilight‘s Bella Swan) and Taylor Lautner – without Robert Pattinson – are currently in Sydney doing some heavy-duty promotion for the upcoming Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which Hollywood hopes will help to ignite this year’s thus far disappointing summer movie season at the box office.

Stewart was photographed smoking (shocking!) and giving the finger – actually, fingers; both hands – to the paparazzi. Perhaps those are the same obnoxious jerks Heath Ledger spat on.

Paparazzi are well known for provoking celebrities and then photographing/filming their angry reactions so they can be published in gossip magazines and sites. Some fans are then horrified to discover that their idols are both human and capable of losing their temper.

Robert Pattinson, for his part, is in Los Angeles filming Water for Elephants. That’s why he wasn’t able to take part in the Eclipse international promo tour. It’s unclear how Summit Entertainment has been taking Pattinson’s absence.

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and other The Twilight Saga: Eclipse cast members are scheduled to attend Summit Entertainment and Creative Entertainment’s Eclipse convention on Fri., Sat. & Sun, June 11-13, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

The Convention announcement was made a couple of weeks ago, but tickets for various functions are still available.

Gil Birmingham (Billy Black), Cameron Bright (Alec), Justin Chon (Eric Yorkie), Daniel Cudmore (Felix), Michael Welch (Mike Newton), and other Twilight / New Moon / Eclipse performers are also slated to be present at the convention.

Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Lautner (Jacob Black) and Stewart (Bella Swan) will be there Saturday early evening for a panel chat. Note: “Due to scheduling, [Pattinson, Stewart, and Lautner] will not be available for autographing or photo ops.” (There are scheduled photo ops with Michael Welch, Booboo Stewart, and several others.)

On the bright side, as per the convention’s website, “every ticketed attendee is guaranteed a seat in our main theatre where the stars appear and you’ll see it all, including celebrity panels, exclusive footage, contests, auctions, presentations from the major Twilight fan sites,” in addition to “some super-surprises.”

Just make sure you read all the information found on the Eclipse Convention website before you buy your ticket(s), as there are some “scheduling” disclaimers on there.

The Hyatt Regency is located at 2025 Avenue of the Stars in Century City.

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and her dilemma – her love for vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) or for her close werewolf friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner)? – is the focus of this initial television spot, “Destiny,” for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. That also happens to be the focus of Stephenie Meyer’s novel. The action featuring the newborn vampire army, the vindictive vampire Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard), takes place near the end, and most of it isn’t seen. The war pitting the newborns against the Cullen Family and the werewolves takes place in the background, and is described only briefly by way of Edward’s mind-reading ability.

As can be attested by the latest TV spot, the David Slade-directed Eclipse will feature much more action than Meyer’s novel.

Eclipse opens in the United States and about a dozen other countries on June 30. The world premiere will take place at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 24. Melissa Rosenberg adapted Meyer’s bestseller, the third installment in the Twilight series. Javier Aguirresarobe is the film’s cinematographer.

Update

This latest television spot for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse focuses on the action, which apparently David Slade will emphasize in the film adaptation. The newborn vampire army, in the film led by Riley (Xavier Samuel), is heard of in Stephenie Meyer’s novel, but they’re never seen in action. Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Riley, both of whom are out to kill Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) only show up in the book near the very end.

Meyer’s book focuses on Bella and her emotional dilemma. She can’t quite give all of herself to her vampire lover Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) because she’s deeply attached to her (very, very intimate) werewolf friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Bella’s indecision causes everyone around her a whole lot of grief, and almost sparks a war between (good) vampires and werewolves.

The next and final installment in the Twilight Saga is Breaking Dawn, which will bring back Pattinson, Stewart, Lautner, and the chief supporting players in the other three films. Bill Condon will direct.

May 25

Australian actor Xavier Samuel is the newborn vampire Riley, who you see leading the army of newborns as they get ready to attack the small town of Forks after having wreaked havoc in Seattle in David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

In Stephenie Meyer’s novel, things get a little difficult for the newborn when he tries to attack Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart): Riley has lots of sheer brute strength and could drink gallons of blood, but he doesn’t have all that much else going for him. (Good looks, perhaps?) Edward is weaker, but he has decades of experience behind him – and he can read minds. Bella has her long hair, which makes her look pretty.

The culprit of all this newborn mess – as if the world weren’t already overpopulated – is Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard), a vindictive vampire who wants Bella totally dead.

Xavier Samuel as Riley, the (frightened) human being is pictured above. Riley as a vampire comes later. In Stephenie Meyer’s novel Eclipse, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and his family realize right away that all those mysterious, gruesome murders taking place in Seattle have been caused by newborn vampires gone amok. But who is creating all those newborns?

It should come as no surprise even to those who haven’t read Meyer’s novel – considering all the images found online – that the vindictive vampire Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) is the one “recruiting” an army of newborns so as to ensure that Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) will have an ugly ending.

In Meyer’s book, Riley is a very minor character that we only get to see near the end. That’s when the major war pitting the newborn vampire army against the good vampires (the Cullens) and the werewolves take place. And Bella – as usual – finds herself in a very dangerous spot. For the film version, Riley’s character has apparently been made more important.

Whether this is Bryce Dallas Howard or a stunt double I don’t know. Either way, it’s an impressive leap in David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. The face that follows in the next scene is surely Howard’s. That may be part of the magic of film editing.

Rachelle Lefevre was going to play the part of the vampire Victoria, out to get and destroy Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) so as to avenge the death of her vampire lover James. Victoria just wasn’t counting on Edward (Robert Pattinson), his family, and a bunch of werewolves to stand in her path.

But instead of Eclipse, Lefevre will next be seen as one of Paul Giamatti’s wives in Richard J. Lewis’ Barney’s Version, which also stars Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike, and Minnie Driver.

Starring Paul Giamatti, two-time Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman (Kramer vs. Kramer, Rain Man), Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Bruce Greenwood, and Twilight and The Twilight Saga: New Moon‘s Rachelle Lefevre, Barney’s Version is (officially) the reason for Lefevre’s departure from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. (Others claim that she played hardball with Summit Entertainment, making higher salary demands much like Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz – for the two-part The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – in recent weeks.)

In Eclipse, Bryce Dallas Howard replaced Lefevre as the vindictive vampire Victoria, who wants to (slowly) kill the frail human Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) because fellow vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) had killed her lover, who, for his part, also wanted to have Bella for dinner.

According to reports at the time of Lefevre’s dismissal, there had been “scheduling conflicts”: Barney’s Version was to be shot at the same time as Eclipse. But wouldn’t the actress or her manager or her agent or someone near her have known about that little matter? (In the trailer, Lefevre can be spotted as one of Giamatti’s wives.)

In Eclipse, Victoria plays a much larger role in the story than in the previous two movies. She’s the one creating the newborn vampire army in Seattle, and the film’s climax takes place when she tries to kill Bella in the snowy mountains near Forks. Ah, but Eclipse is not a small independent film, which invariably means prestige, love of craft, ars gratia artis, etc. etc.

As if Dustin Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Minnie Driver, Bruce Greenwood haven’t done their share of commercial movies with an eye on the fat paycheck and the movie’s gross receipts, regardless of the (lack of) quality of the screenplay.

Richard J. Lewis directed Barney’s Version from a screenplay by Michael Konyves based on Mordecai Richler’s novel.

Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan Eclipse poster. This is taken from one of the “teaser” images of Bella that were released a few weeks ago.

In Eclipse, Bella finds herself torn between the vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and the werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Making matters worse, there’s an army of newborn vampires wreaking havoc in nearby Seattle, a vindictive vampire out to get her, and the cold-blooded (literally and figuratively) Volturi, who want to make sure that Bella has become one of them.

Xavier Samuel is at the forefront of the Twilight Saga: Eclipse‘s newborn vampire army. Generally speaking, those newborn vampires are stronger and hungrier than older vampires such as those found in the Cullen Family.

Among the Cullen family members are the kind Dr. Cullen (Peter Facinelli) and the suave Edward (Robert Pattinson), who’s totally devoted to the human Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), who also happens to be the object of desire of werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), who happens to have great abs.

Bella is also the object of a different sort of desire – a death wish, you might call it – of the red-headed vampire Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard), a vindictive wench who blames Edward for the death of her vampire lover who, quite literally, wanted to eat Bella alive. Or at least to suck her dry.

In David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Xavier Samuel plays Riley, the leader of the newborn vampire army. The newborns are out to get Bella (Kristen Stewart), who’ll be protected by Edward (Robert Pattinson) and his family of good vampires, and by Jacob (Taylor Lautner) and his pack of fearless werewolves.

Eclipse opens on June 30 in the United States and a number of other countries, among them Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Argentina, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Portugal, Sweden. The world premiere will be held in Los Angeles on June 24. Melissa Rosenberg adapted Stephenie Meyer’s bestseller, the third in the four-part Twilight series.

The Volturi: Dakota Fanning, Daniel Cudmore, Cameron Bright, Charlie Bewley. Actually, there are more than just four, but the others don’t play a role in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

They were brought in to give Edward (Robert Pattinson), Bella (Kristen Stewart), and Alice (Ashley Greene) a tough time in The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and will be back to inconvenience the Cullen family in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (in Part II; unless Melissa Rosenberg’s screenplay drastically revamps – no pun intended – Stephenie Meyer’s novel.)

May 21

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart together: ‘The Twilight Saga’ movies’ will they/won’t they saga will seem to last for all eternity.

‘Twilight Saga’ movies marathon: Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart together seemingly forever

The evening before it opens in North America – that’s June 30, ’10 – David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse will be screened along with Catherine Hardwicke’s Twilight (2008) and Chris Weitz’s New Moon (2009) at select AMC Entertainment theaters in the United States.

All three movies, of course, star Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner (who actually has a smaller role in the first one). Screenings will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 29.

Free Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner kissing booths

Tickets for the ACM Theater Twilight Saga movies’ marathon will cost $30. Moviegoers will also get a free $10 AMC gift card and a collectible lanyard (while supplies last).

“On top of that … Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner will have free kissing booths in the lobby,” explains the AMC Theaters website – with the aside, “Ok, that part was a complete lie, but everything else was true!”

So, will they or won’t they? You’ll find out after six long hours of love, romance, jealousy, shirtless posing, and a few decapitations.

‘Eclipse’ cast

Melissa Rosenberg adapted all three of Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novels, and is currently working on the adaptation of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, to be directed by Bill Condon, and to bring back Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner.

Also in the The Twilight Saga: Eclipse cast:

Bryce Dallas Howard (replacing previous Victoria actress Rachelle Lefevre).

Xavier Samuel. Ashley Greene. Kellan Lutz. Nikki Reed. Elizabeth Reaser. Peter Facinelli. Jackson Rathbone.

Dakota Fanning. Billy Burke. Daniel Cudmore. Michael Welch. Jodelle Ferland. Booboo Stewart. Jack Huston.

Christian Serratos. Kirsten Prout. Charlie Bewley. Julia Jones. Alex Meraz. Sarah Clarke. Cameron Bright.

Kiowa Gordon. Bronson Pelletier. Tinsel Korey. Tyson Houseman. Paul Jarrett. Gil Birmingham. Leah Gibson.

Justin Rain. Cainan Wiebe. Ben Geldreich. Iris Quinn. Justin Chon. Alex Rice. Chaske Spencer.

Best Actress Oscar nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace, 2004).

Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air, 2009).

Besides The Twilight Saga cast regulars, Twilight also features:

Cam Gigandet. Rachelle Lefevre. Edi Gathegi.

New Moon cast additions include:

Michael Sheen. Christopher Heyerdahl. Curtis Caravaggio.

Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee Graham Greene (Dances with Wolves, 1990).

MTV Movie Awards

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are up for a few 2010 MTV Movie Awards, including Best Kiss for their smooching in Chris Weitz’s The Twilight Saga: New Moon, released last November.

For all it’s worth, Pattinson and Stewart will undoubtedly be back with more MTV Movie Award nominations next year for their kissing scenes in David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

‘Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)’ music video: Muse song for ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’

Muse (Matthew Bellamy, Christopher Wolstenholme, Dominic Howard) is Twilight Saga author Stephenie Meyer’s favorite rock band. At the end of each of her books, Meyer thanks them for their inspiration: “The many bands and musicians that keep me motivated,” Meyer wrote in the acknowledgments section of Breaking Dawn. “Did I mention Muse already? I did? Too bad. Muse, Muse, Muse…” [Image: Muse performing “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever).”]

So, it’s no surprise that Muse has been featured in previous Twilight Saga soundtracks. This time around, however, the band’s “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)” is The Twilight Saga: Eclipse‘s lead song. In fact, it’s the first Eclipse single to come out. Check it out below. [Note from the Editor: In the movie itself, “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)” is only briefly heard at a party at the Cullens’ house.]

Minimalist ‘Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)’ music video complaints

Muse’s “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)” music video is pretty minimalist. It basically consists of shots of the band’s performers playing under red and blue lights, interspersed with brief clips from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, mostly culled from the film’s two previously released trailers featuring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, and Bryce Dallas Howard. (There are a few additions as well, most notably a fast-moving bit showing Howard’s vindictive vampire Victoria being pursued by huge werewolves.)

Those who hate the Twilight movies have complained that the Eclipse clips have ruined the “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)” music video. Others have complained there’s nothing “edgy” about Muse’s rendition of the song or the music video itself.

But considering that the song in question is called “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)” and that the movie in question is the PG-13-rated Eclipse, whose target audience consists of very young women, “edginess” might have been a turn off for many in that crowd. Summit Entertainment’s marketing department knows what (and to whom) they’re selling.

‘Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)’ eligible for the Oscars?

Although written in 2009 and inspired by a personal event in Matt Bellamy’s life, “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)” was recorded expressly for Eclipse. Theoretically, Muse’s song could be eligible for the 2011 Best Song Academy Award. [Note from the Editor: Since one gets to hear only a few refrains of “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)” in Eclipse, Muse’s song was clearly ineligible for the Academy Awards even if it was written expressly for the movie. That goes for the other Twilight songs as well, since the movies in this particular franchise offer an overabundance of pop tunes, which allows for only a few snippets of each to be heard on screen.]

Besides Muse’s “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)”, the Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack album will also include songs by Florence and the Machine, Vampire Weekend, Beck, Bat for Lashes, Metric, The Dead Weather, The Black Keys, and Cee-Lo. The Eclipse album will be released in the United States on June 8, 2010, and is already available for pre-order online.

Bella and Edward embrace: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Muse’s music video for “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever),” Eclipse‘s soundtrack lead song, premiered on MTV yesterday. Bill Condon will be directing the next installment(s) of the series, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, which should begin filming in the fall.

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart: Edward and Bella kissing in the meadow, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Below are the three clips from David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse that have been released so far. It’s interesting to see them all together. They are: “Edward Threatens Jacob,” featuring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, and Billy Burke; “The Volturi Decide,” featuring Dakota Fanning, Daniel Cudmore, Cameron Bright, and Charlie Bewley; and “Rosalie’s Advice to Bella,” featuring Kristen Stewart and Nikki Reed.

Visually they have a number of elements in common: Javier Aguirresarobe’s blueish hues for the outdoor (night) scenes; soft hues for the indoor sequence. The colors are all somewhat muted, adding an aura of both foreboding and otherworldliness to the proceedings. (The meadow scene looks otherworldly for the very opposite reason. It offers a great contrast.)

Dramatically they’re something else altogether. “Edward Warns Jacob” feels overly dramatic; “The Volturi Decide” goes for camp; “Rosalie Advises Bella” is pure soap opera. (Admittedly, we’re watching them totally all out of context.)

In terms of acting the scenes are mostly on the same level – unfortunately, a generally low level.

In “Edward Warns Jacob” Robert Pattinson is convincing as the jealously protective Edward, and Burke is fine as Bella’s father in his brief close-up; both Stewart and Lautner, however, fail to deliver the necessary emotional intensity for the scene. The same goes for the acting in the other two clips, which at times borders on the amateurish. (Stewart, of course, has proven herself a quite capable actress elsewhere.)

Now, Eclipse is still weeks away from being released, and last-minute tinkering is still being done (at least according to David Slade’s tweets). At times, whole sequences can be saved (or made much more concise and believable) with a snip here or snip there in the editing room, while music can play a great role in bringing dramatic moments to life. (That’s one of the reasons sound mixing and sound editing are crucial for a film’s effectiveness.) Here’s hoping the whole will add up to much more than the sum of its (handful of) parts that have been released so far.

Having said all this, I’m positive about one thing: the action scenes in Eclipse will be outstanding. I just hope that Slade, despite the difficult material, has been able to make the human/vampire/werewolf drama just as believable as the fighting and hunting bits.

Kristen Stewart’s Bella tells Billy Burke’s Charlie that boyfriend Edward (Robert Pattinson) is “old-fashioned” in this clip from David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. (Well, Edward is a 110-year-old vampire in love with a teenager. That’s totally pre-postmodernism.)

Since Charlie doesn’t quite get it – “What’s that? Code for something?” – Bella has to spell it out: “Dad, I’m a virgin.” Both her thumbs go up. In a PG-13 movie. Gasp!

And to think that in 1953, Otto Preminger’s The Moon Is Blue didn’t get a Seal of Approval from the sex-o-phobic censors at the Production Code Office because the dialogue contained the word “virgin” among other obscene, anti-family, anti-American, anti-Christian fare.

Needless to say, in addition to inciting the ire of prudes and moralists everywhere, The Moon Is Blue became one of the year’s biggest box office hits, earning leading lady Maggie McNamara a Best Actress Oscar nod.

I don’t expect Kristen Stewart to get an Oscar for Eclipse, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Stewart gets shortlisted here and there for her other two 2010 performances: rocker Joan Jett in The Runaways and the pole dancer/sex worker in Welcome to the Rileys.

Rosalie Hale (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.

Robert Pattinson’s Edward Cullen once again murmurs words of wisdom to Kristen Stewart’s Bella Swan when they should be in class studying. But that’s high school.

In this extended sequence from The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Bella tells Edward she’s not at all into birthday parties. Edward reminds her that there are worse tragedies in the world. Personally, I don’t think Bella looks fully convinced.

Edward also says that the last time any of the vampires celebrated a birthday was when Bing Crosby was still at the top of the charts. I’m not quite sure when that was, but I’m guessing it was sometime in the 1930s. Or perhaps 1940s.

Then Edward changes the subject from parties and music charts to Shakespeare. “Look at Romeo, you know? He killed his true love out of sheer … stupidity. Imagine living with that.” Bella looks like she’s trying hard, but can’t quite imagine it.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse images: Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment.