You’d think with a tween daughter at home, Welsh actor Michael Sheen would have been declared a hero after landing a role in the super- hot “Twilight Saga.” But when Michael stopped by “The Bonnie Hunt Show” today to talk about the series, he revealed that his 10-year-old’s reaction wasn’t quite what he had expected.

“It’s a sort of double edged sword though,” Michael explained about his role as “New Moon” dastardly vamp Aro. “I remember when I was her age, things I was really into, the last thing I wanted was my dad being into it as well. when I first told her, we were eating some food and I said, ‘Look, I’m going to be in the next film. I’m going to play Aro.’ And she was lifting the food to her mouth and she froze, and I thought, ‘What is she doing?’ and a tear started rolling down her cheek. And I thought, ‘That’s nice. That’s exactly the reaction I want.’ And then she punched me.” of course his daughter’s reaction turned from distraught to elation once she realized she’d be attending the film’s big premiere.

When Bonnie asked Michael how many times he’s been questioned about Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson making out on set, the actor unsurprisingly played coy, changing the subject. “Everyone worked very hard,” he replied. “It was quite weird for me to be on a set where everyone is so young and beautiful. It made me feel every one of my 2,000 years.”

Like many of Hollywood’s talented actors, Michael has a long resume rife with odd jobs, including a stint as a paperboy and a fast food worker. “I was a terrible paperboy,” he said. “I didn’t like getting up in the morning. my mum would have to do the route.” He’s come a long way since, having even recently received an award from the Queen of England, whom he’s had much fictitious experience with playing former British Prime Minister Tony Blair several times. when he finally met the “real” Queen, he quickly learned about her brusque way of ending conversations. “The thing that the Queen does which you don’t realize until you meet her, because presumably when people meet the Queen they can get very flustered and sort of rabbit in the headlights, she puts her hand out and presumably people carry on talking or keep shaking her hand. so she does this thing where she takes your hand and shoves you away!” All hail the Queen, indeed!

Did you catch Michael Sheen’s appearance on “The Bonnie Hunt Show”? what was your favorite part?

LOS ANGELES — Vampires and werewolves continued to howl at the box office with a $42.5 million weekend for “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.”

Summit Entertainment’s “Twilight” sequel remained no. 1 over what proved a record Thanksgiving weekend for Hollywood. But “New Moon” was nearly blind-sided for the top spot by a real-life football drama.

“The Blind Side” had a great second weekend with $40.1 million, coming in at no. 2 just behind “New Moon.” Released by Warner Bros., the inspirational story of Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher stars Sandra Bullock as a woman whose wealthy family takes in the homeless teen and enrolls him in private school.

The two movies propelled Hollywood to record revenues over the five-day Thanksgiving period. Wednesday-to-Sunday receipts came in at an estimated $278 million, according to Hollywood.com box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

That surpassed the previous Thanksgiving record of $244.4 million set in 2000, when “Dr. Seuss’ how the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Unbreakable” topped the box office.

New wide releases had so-so results. Disney’s family comedy “Old Dogs,” starring Robin Williams and John Travolta as single guys forced to mind 7-year-old twins one of them never knew he had fathered, came in at no. 4 with $16.8 million for the three-day weekend.

The Warner Bros. action tale “Ninja Assassin” opened at no. 6 with $13.1 million. The movie features Korean pop star Rain and Naomie Harris in a thriller about a hit man on the run from his assassination clan.

“Fantastic mr. Fox,” the 20th Century Fox animated comedy with a voice cast led by George Clooney, expanded to nationwide release and pulled in $7 million to finish at no. 9.

While the weekend haul for “New Moon” dropped steeply from the movie’s $142.8 million opening, “The Blind Side” actually went up from its $34.1 million first weekend.

“New Moon” raised its domestic total to $230.7 million after just 10 days. That’s nearly $40 million more than the first movie, last year’s “Twilight,” took in during its entire 20-week run.

The “Twilight” movies star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner in an adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s books about teen heartache among a school girl, a vampire and a werewolf.

“The Blind Side” lifted its 10-day total to $100.3 million and has generated Academy Awards buzz for Bullock.

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The star of ‘The Twilight Saga: new Moon’ Taylor Lautner stopped by the new George Lopez show, ‘Lopez Tonight,’ to promote the film. George Lopez has known Taylor Lautner since he was twelve years old.

George Lopez asked Taylor Launter, how this success has all come about, and Lautner replies, “I was not expecting anything this. It was a normal audition – I met with the director, I read with Kristen [Stewart], and a year and a half later, I’m in this, with these amazing fans. It’s incredible.”

Lopez then says that he has known Lautner since he was 12, and says, “I can’t tell you – everyday, how much I thank God that I was nice to you at age 12.”

Extra security was brought in for Taylor Lautner, and George Lopez says, “We had to get extra security for you today. It has been chaos. People are bringing kids they didn’t even know they had. but it’s like this everywhere – this is like a global movie – it’s like this everywhere, Right?.” Taylor Launter explains, “Yeah, it’s unbelievable. I mean, you know, they’re not going to hurt me.”

He says of playing Jacob Black in New Moon, “It’s a lot different than it was in Twilight. Obviously, I have a lot more to do. It is a lot more challenging because basically I’m playing a split personality. I have to bring alive the old side of Jacob, but also the new side which is more fierce and intense.

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Taylor Lautner ‘New Moon’ and ‘Valentine’s Day’ star coming to SNL Dec. 12, Bon Jovi musical guest

‘The Twilight Saga: new Moon’ trailer most viewed online, up by 63% since release

China, somewhat of a new player on the international space scene, apparently wants to make up for the time it lost in front of the United States, Europe, and Russia. Having successfully launched its first unmanned lunar probe in 2007, the country is currently aiming at a 2010 deadline for the launch of its second scientific device, which it hopes to have operational as early as possible. The first orbiter, named Chang’e-1, managed to transmit back the first pictures of the Moon’s surface in January 2008. The Chinese space agency also plans to send its first taikonaut to the surface of Earth’s natural satellite by 2020 at the latest. The country has already demonstrated spacewalk capabilities, so now it’s just a matter of developing the necessary technology to construct the carrier spacecraft that would deliver its crew to the surface of the Moon. By 2050, the same basic plan shows, the country would like to have its own, permanent base on the satellite, from which to conduct experiments. The goal is highly ambitious, even with China’s massive funds and interest in such explorations.

The goal also leaves analysts skeptical because the country only exhibited space capabilities in 2003, on October 15, when taikonaut Yang Liwei went to space aboard the Shenzhou-V spacecraft. Since then additional flights have been conducted, but the technology used still poses a high degree of uncertainty. The first and only spacewalk was achieved in September 2008, with three taikonauts aboard the Shenzhou-VII spacecraft. but the Chinese government is sure that the risks are worth the possible scientific and strategic returns, Space Fellowship reports.

The Chang’e-2 and Chang’e-3 spacecrafts will aim to ensure this is the case right on the scene. The former is a second orbiter, while the later is a lunar lander, which is scheduled to touch down in the Sinus Iridium (Bay of Rainbows) region. The lander will look for usable resources on the surface of the planet, and it will also conduct a thorough analysis of its target zone’s topography. Chang’e-3 is not scheduled to be launched until 2013. most likely, the take off will occur from the Xichang space center, in the southwestern part of the country. a Long March 3B delivery system is the most likely platform.

The chief designer of the first probe, Ye Peijian, says that Chang’s-2, the orbiter scheduled for the 2010 launch, will be more advanced than its predecessor. The orbiter will carry “a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera on board, which has a much higher resolution than the camera on China’s first lunar probe. [The new spacecraft] will orbit 100 kilometers closer to the Moon [than the first probe] and will be equipped with better facilities. we expect to acquire more scientific data about the moon with increased accuracy,” the expert says, quoted by China Daily.

Andy Bockelman

Andy Bockelman’s movie reviews appear in the Craig Daily Press and Saturday Morning Press.

‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’

Rating: ★★

Length: 130 minutes

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. now playing at the West Theater.

Who could forget their senior year of high school? with the friendships, the prospect of the future, the love triangle with two different creatures of the night …

Or was that last example just in “New Moon?”

Teenager Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is finding that dating a vampire can be quite an ordeal. Aside from being 90 years younger than her lover, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), there’s always the inherent danger of spending time with his family, certain members of which aren’t as warm to her as her sweetie is.

But as long as Edward is around, she feels perfectly safe — which makes it all the more difficult when he breaks up with her, claiming that they won’t work as a couple because of their different lives. Wallowing in anguish for months after Edward’s departure from the town of Forks, Bella’s malaise finally begins to lift as she spends more time with good friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), who has serious feelings of his own for her.

While the pain from her break-up prevents her from being close with him, she still can’t help but feel love for him. but Jacob has a secret of his own: His Native American tribe, the Quileute, is comprised of a group of shape-shifting warriors who protect the area from malevolent vampires.

And although he is sworn not to harm Edward or his family, Jacob’s protectiveness of Bella may just get a little hairy.

It’s hard to tell if it’s Bella’s characterization or Stewart’s portrayal that makes her so off-putting, but it’s a bit too much to swallow that this is supposed to be a girl who becomes the ultimate object of desire of both a vampire and a werewolf. It’s not so much the dense lines that she has to utter, it’s the fact that a young actress as talented as Stewart can’t make it work in spite of these faults.

The same goes for Pattinson, though he’s clearly there — in a notably smaller capacity than in “Twilight” — just to look pretty and shiny.

And he has some real competition, with Lautner excelling as lycanthropic lothario Jacob, trimming his tresses and bulking up considerably from his last appearance. How fortunate for the girls in the audience he spends most of his time running around in shorts and high tops while on screen, but at least he comes off as realistic in addition to being hunky.

Much of the supporting cast founders with uninspired roles, although among the standouts: Ashley Greene as Edward’s sprightly, clairvoyant sister Alice; Michael Sheen — reversing his werewolf affiliation from the other big vampire/werewolf civil war series “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” — as Aro, leader of the vampire aristocracy, the Volturi; and as his malicious guard Jane, Dakota Fanning, who looks at least a decade older with crimson contact lenses.

Maybe you have to be Fanning’s age to truly appreciate the “Twilight” movies and the Stephenie Meyer books upon which they’re based, but there are admittedly some improvements to be seen in this sequel.

Besides Lautner’s move into the spotlight and a much more biting sense of humor all around, there is a much clearer use of imagery at hand, such as the dreamscape of the Washington forests representing Bella’s recurring insomnia and the confusion and uncertainty about her life. The whole tone of the movie feels more dream-like, but even the best dream can turn into a nightmare.

And this isn’t the best dream, by far.

Forgetting — not forgiving — the lackadaisical story flow, there’s something very upsetting about Bella and Edward’s drastically desperate “I don’t want to live without you” outlook, a perverse twist on “Romeo & Juliet” that misses the point of everlasting love entirely. it manifests itself even worse with her as she loses her whole sense of self and becomes borderline suicidal.

It wouldn’t be as much of a concern if the “Twilight” franchise hadn’t already become such an entity unto itself. The “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob” T-shirts and buttons alone make it seem like a religion with numerous denominations.

Of course, the topper of “New Moon” is a smug, James Bond-esque, post-credits reminder that the forthcoming “Eclipse” will be released in 2010.

As if the legions of fans and 24-hour media coverage would let us forget.

Now playing at the West Theater.

In theaters

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON, directed by Chris Weitz, written by Melissa Rosenberg, 130 minutes, rated PG-13.

The new Chris Weitz movie, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” had the sold-out audience at my screening heaving and sighing so often — usually when a young man’s shirt came off, which was often — here’s a recommendation for those who haven’t seen it: Bring an oxygen tank. You’ll need it and a mask, particularly in the presence of so much heaving and sighing and busy shiftlessness.

I’m telling you, if the crowd is packed, the air will be sucked free from the room. Just saying.

This follow-up to “Twilight,” which also is based on a Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling novel, is custom-made for hormonal ‘tween girls just as the “Star Wars” movies were made for sci-fi loving young boys.

So let’s give it up to its creators because regardless of how drawn out and dumb this movie is, with $142 million in the bank last weekend alone, this movie knows what its audience wants — shirtless boys, chaste kisses, and a female character caught between the hotness of two hotties (a werewolf, a vampire) who apparently is willing to throw garlic cloves to the wind to give her soul to the latter.

About the young woman in question: her name is Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart); she’s slumming in Forks, Wash., with her single dad, Charlie (Billy Burke), and her hormones are boiling over as if lit by a satanic hellfire.

We don’t know this because Bella expresses her emotions easily. She’s nearly a mute, poor thing, parting her lips but saying as little as possible, but because when the vampire, Edward (Robert Pattinson), decides he must remove himself from her life in order to protect her from his kind, she literally writhes in pain, screams out in agony and has nightmares that suggests one hell of an epic yearning.

With Edward gone for most of the movie, there to pick up the pieces for Bella is Jacob (Taylor Lautner), her lifelong friend who wants more than a friendship with her. Together, they grow close over motorcycles, mutual sidelong glances and his bulging new muscles. But here’s the thing; turns out Jacob has a gene that allows him to morph into a werewolf.

Who knew? he didn’t. and here’s the real issue at hand. Just as with Edward, if the two take the risk of edging toward sexual intimacy, Jacob could potentially harm her if things got out of hand between them. after all, all one has to do is look at the shredded face of one of the wives of Jacob’s werewolf leaders to know how dire having sexy times with a werewolf can be. Just as it could with Edward, it might cost Bella her life, or at the very least, a disfigurement. and who wants that?

Bella does — of course, she does — though not with Jacob. She wants Edward, who appears to her in ghostly flashes during those moments when she nearly harms herself. These moments fuel her desire for him even more. after all, he wouldn’t appear to her if he didn’t love her! and so as the movie unfolds, she becomes more and more determined to have him back in her life so she can strip down and give him her, um, soul.

What unspools from this is another glum film about the perils of teen intimacy that still finds life hinging on abstinence and morality. While those are fine messages to send out to young audiences, the way it’s played here is so brooding, it’s nearly bloodless. that is, of course, until the film’s final moments, when real heat emerges in Italy.

Just what goes down there, we’ll leave for you, but it says a lot for the movie that the two most interesting characters come at the end — Dakota Fanning rules the screen as a dead vampire zealot with a mean stare, a tight golden bun and a hot clip; and Michael Sheen creates all kinds of chaos as the leader of all vampires. Each ooze menace to the point that you think, finally, characters who fill up a room, tear up the scenery and allow fear to creep into your heart. These two actors are so superior to the juiceless love otherwise served up in the movie, you can’t help wishing they had a movie of their own.

WeekinRewind.com is the site for Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s blog, DVD giveaways and movie reviews. Smith’s reviews appear Fridays and weekends in Lifestyle, as well as on bangordailynews.com. he may be reached at Christopher@weekinrewind.com.

Renting a DVD? NEWS film critic Christopher Smith can help. Below are his grades of recent releases. those capped and in bold print are new to stores this week.

Angels & Demons — C-

Bruno — C

Drag Me to Hell — B+

Dragonball: Evolution — C

Fast & Furious — B-

Funny People — C+

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past — D

Hannah Montana: The Movie — C-

I love You, Man — B+

Land of the Lost — BOMB

My Bloody Valentine 3-D — B-

Observe and Report — C-

Race to Witch Mountain — C-

Sunshine Cleaning — B

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 — B

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen — D

X-Men Origins: Wolverine — B-

The undeniable world domination by lecherous, blood-sucking fiends continues with the release of the second segment of Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight” saga, “New Moon.”

For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past four years, “Twilight” is the new worldwide literary-cum-cinematic phenomenon, filled with romance, action and magical creatures.

The series begins with “Twilight” where shallow, vapid and hallow Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) discovers that her soulmate, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), is a vampire. in “New Moon,” the hot romance is pushed aside by peril when Edward leaves Bella. she goes into a psychotic depression, riddled with night terrors, starvation and monotony. however, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a new romantic interest, slowly brings Bella out of her funk.

In comparison to “Twilight,” “New Moon” surpasses the film by leaps and bounds.

“New Moon” Director Chris Weitz gave Stewart, Pattinson and Lautner more to explore with their characters in this movie rather than having them lie in a meadow and gaze dreamily at each other, similar to Catherine Hardwick’s direction in her masterpiece (or monster-piece, however a viewer looks at it), “Twilight.” Granted, “Twilight” has a mere budget of $37 million according to “Entertainment Weekly” (ew.com/ew/article/0,,20211840,00.html) while Summit Entertainment granted $50 million dollars for “New Moon” according to the L.a. Times (latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-newmoon21-2009nov21,0,7638993.story). a little more money and a better director can go a long way, however, the lead actors are not Oscar worthy themselves.

However, Weitz is well known for his special effects in movies, most notably the film adaptation to Philip Pullman’s novel, “Northern Lights,” better known as “The Golden Compass.” in “New Moon,” we are introduced to the world of the La Push werewolves (more like shape-shifters, but the argument is better left to Geek Columnist Brennan Whitmore.) the wolves are described to be about the size of a bear and Weitz brings them to life and height in the film with his special effects. however, while it’s difficult to imagine six-foot-tall werewolves while reading the novel, it’s even harder to stomach while watching the movie. the blame is cast on Meyers: who can really see six-foot-tall werewolves in their mind?

Despite the overabundance of corny lines and awkward moments, the best courtesy of Mike Newton (Michael Welch), there are a few highlights to “New Moon.” Javier Aguirresarobe’s cinematography was brilliant. the transitions of time during Bella’s depression was clever and the camerawork during a werewolf fight was faster than lightning, but still managed to make sense and kick ass when it came to the action.

Through it all, Michael Sheen stole the movie as Aro, one of the leaders of the Volturi, the vampire royalty/government based in Italy. While Sheen is not unfamiliar with playing creatures (he played Lucian in “Underworld”), he is best know for his role as David Frost in “Frost Nixon.” Aro, however, was a complete turnaround from the talk show host turned journalist. It seemed like Sheen based some of his character on Dr. Hannibal Lecter, how Aro found everything as a puzzle and the fact that he observed his guests with fascination, and slightly creepy eyes. you could see the work Sheen put into finding Aro because even though he held a small role, the depth could be seen in the mere movements he made.

Overall, four stars and two thumbs up for “New Moon” simply because Lautner’s biceps and abs are worth the $12.50 to get into the movie.

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The popularity of “New Moon” doesn’t seem like it will be slowing down anytime soon, not at the box office nor as a Twitter topic. of course, Twihards will be happy to know that the film’s cast and crew are more than appreciative. While Taylor Lautner doesn’t have his own Twitter (unacceptable!), the official “Twilight” twitter page passed along a message from him to fans, “From Taylor – thanks for your incredible support of New Moon. your passion for the Twilight Saga is the sole reason we’re #1 across the world!” It seems no one is more psyched to be taking the helm of the next chapter than “Eclipse” director David Slade who wrote, “The wild success of New Moon this weekend is both humbling & exciting as we continue Post on Eclipse. thanks to you lot for the support.” Ah, just seven more months to go …

But, the “Twilight” family weren’t the only ones with something to be thankful this weekend (if only we a had a holiday to celebrate our gratitude … hmmm …), just ask non-vampire cutie Joseph Gordon-Levitt (pictured). the “(500) Days of Summer” star took over hosting duties on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend and all that hard work certainly paid off (did you SEE that opening monologue?) JGL took to his Twitter to give love to the home of “SNL,” posting, “Good bye, New York, thanks again…” No, Joe, thank you!

Check out the rest of today’s big topics in the Twitterverse, including celebs thoughts on the Adam Lambert AMA controversy, “Call of Duty”, and wacky Thanksgiving plans! Don’t forget you can follow us all the time @hollywoodcrush for all the latest on your favorite stars!

@solangeknowles i’ve never heard ANY of Adam Lamberts music. never watched American Idol, but loving the series of tweets about him this week. Rock on Adam!
-Solange Knowles, Singer

@thisisrobthomas who cares that adam lambert kissed a guy? i care that he was pitchy. he has a better voice than that.
-Rob Thomas, Musician

@krisallen Congrats @adamlambert on the new album! Everyone go get it.
-Kris Allen, Musician

@michaelurie Who’s got the weirdest thanksgiving plans?
-Michael Urie, Actor (”Ugly Betty”)

@kevin_nealon Thanksgiving Day dinner list: locked doors; check. Lights out; check. Phone disconnected; check. Well hid under the bed; check.
-Kevin Nealon, Comedian, Actor (”Aliens in the Attic”)

@danecook the day after Thanksgiving I’m headed 2 Honolulu, Hawaii. Big show & little vaca finally w/ cool people.
-Dane Cook, Comedian, Actor (”Employee of the Month”)

@pink oooooh 65 minutes of cardio means more room for pizza. pizza pizza.
-Pink, Singer

@omarepps How do people read while their on the treadmill?? Makes me dizzy…
-Omar Epps, Actor (”House”)

@robkardashian call of Duty is callin me… Spent the nite without it…
-Rob Kardashian, Reality Star (”Keeping Up with the Kardashians”)

@davidabwilliams Pajama party tonight. wooop
-Davida Williams, Actress, (”Lizzie McGuire”)

If the 30-minute “New Moon” run time didn’t meet your necessary Bella, Jacob and/or Edward face time quota, well, stay tuned. When we caught up recently with sequel director Chris Weitz he assured us there will be plenty more to sink our teeth into when the flick comes out on DVD next year.

“There will be probably about 20 minutes of deleted material,” Chris explained. “It really is good stuff and a bonus for the fans.” What sort of “good stuff,” Chris did not elaborate on, but MTV News is aware of several scenes that did not make the final cut that would make perfect fodder for a DVD bonus reel. they include …

-One of Rachelle Lefevre’s final scenes as Victoria seen munching on a “snack” during a roadtrip.

-A scene with the humans eating Burger King. Can you say synergy?

-A scene with Justin Chon and Michael Welch expressing jealousy over Edward’s Volvo (and one can only assume the three parking spots needed to park it).

-More scenes with the Volturi in Italy.

-An extended cut of the scene where Mike Newton quotes Shakespeare to Bella in the Forks High parking lot; in it, he does a Marlon Brando impersonation.

-Scenes alluding to the ongoing breakup between Mike and Anna Kendrick’s Jessica.

And, if you were a fan of Robert Pattinson’s self-deprecating humor in the first “Twilight” commentary track, rest assured the Brit will be stepping into the recording booth with costars Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner to record similar witticisms for the sequel. “It’ll just be us riffing off each other in our intimate way,” Chris said with a grin. “We kind of like each other, so that should be fun.”

Posted November 23, 2009 10:04:00

New Moon’s complex love triangle involves a high school girl, a vampire and a werewolf.

The Twilight sequel has scored the third biggest opening weekend of all-time at the North American box office.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon earned an estimated $US140.7 million ($154.2 million) during its first three days of release across the United States and Canada, crushing industry expectations.

The record for an opening is $US158 million, set last year by the dark Knight. the 2007 movie Spider-Man 3 follows with $US151 million.

New Moon replaces Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest ($US136 million) at number three.

The vampire romance is well on its way to exceeding the $US193 million total of its predecessor, Twilight.

Distributor Summit Entertainment says New Moon also set an opening day record with Friday sales of $US72.7 million, surpassing the $US67.2 million haul of the dark Knight.

That tally was bolstered by record-breaking midnight sales of $US26.3 million. the old mark was set earlier this year by Harry Potter And the Half-Blood Prince with $US22.2 million.

Summit says New Moon earned $US118.1 million from 25 foreign markets. Data from individual countries was not immediately available.

New Moon revisits the dangerous romance between high school student Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).

After falling in love with each other in Twilight, Bella and Edward break-up in New Moon.

Bella becomes close to Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), an American Indian who is also a werewolf. Jacob protects Bella, but she still longs for the gentle blood-sucker Edward.

Chris Weitz directed the $US50 million project.

Reviews have largely been scathing, but the franchise is considered critic-proof.

The films are based on a series of four novels by Stephenie Meyer.

- Reuters

Tags: arts-and-entertainment, feature-films, popular-culture, united-states