Movies

New DVDs |

"Breaking Dawn" gets new life with its DVD release Saturday. Tuesday's releases include "Project Nim" and "A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas."

'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part I'

Recent high-school graduate Bella Swan grows up a lot, becoming a bride, a potential mother and perhaps something stranger. Yet the "Twilight Saga" (PG-13) hasn't matured along with its heroine.

In the movie's bland first half, Bella (Kristen Stewart) prepares for woodland nuptials with pasty vampire dreamboat Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). The couple's long-delayed consummation occurs off-camera and is enough to render Bella pregnant. Jacob Black's (Taylor Lautner) werewolf clan fears Bella and Edward's offspring and plans to terminate it.

This is the series' swoon-inducing premise: to be desired by the two hottest boys in town, who compete to be best at protecting you.

There'll be a lot more protecting in "Part 2," scheduled for November.

DVD extras: Six-part making-of documentary, wedding video, "Jacob's Destiny" featurette, commentary with director Bill Condon, two fast-forward features for scenes with Edward or Jacob.

The Washington Post

Tuesday releases

The following star ratings are by Seattle Times movie reviewers, freelancers or wire services. For full reviews, including Seattle Times movie critic Moira Macdonald's two-star review of "Breaking Dawn," search the movie title at seattletimes.com.

"Project Nim" (PG-13): James Marsh's documentary explores the education of a chimp who was brought up as part of a human family and learned sign language.

"A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas" (R): Things get wild for the stoner duo (John Cho, Kal Penn) as they go on an all-night search for a 12-foot Christmas tree.

"Anonymous" (PG-13): In Roland Emmerich's historical drama, there's much ado about the idea that Shakespeare's plays were actually written by Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans).

Compiled by Lori Taki Uno: luno@seattletimes.com