Feb 28, 2007 By Lou Gaul, Calkins Media Film Critic 5 min read

Five diverse titles – a romantic tale (“A Good Year”), a supernatural thriller (“The Return”), an uplifting fable (“Stranger Than Fiction”), a rock comedy (“Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny”) and an offbeat melodrama (“Tideland”) – are landing in DVD outlets on this first weekend of March. The top DVD rental and sales titles are:

Best Renters

1. “The Departed” (R); Grade: A-; with Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson in director Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning crime tale about Boston gangsters.

2. “Stranger Than Fiction” (PG-13); Grade: A-; with Will Ferrell and Maggie Gyllenhaal in an inspired fable about a character in a book who comes to life and then discovers the author plans to kill him off.

3. “The Prestige” (PG-13); Grade: B-; with Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson and Christian Bale in a beautifully mounted thriller about two battling magicians seeking to create the ultimate illusion.

4. “Man of the Year” (PG-13); Grade: C; with Robin Williams in a tired political comedy about a stand-up comic who runs for the highest office in the land and, due to a voting-machine malfunction, wins the presidency.

5. “Flushed Away” (PG); Grade: C+; with the voices of Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet in a computer-animated film about a spoiled rodent accidentally flushed down a toilet and into London’s sewer system.

6. “Babel” (R); Grade: B+; with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in an Oscar-nominated ensemble drama about how an accidental shooting in Morocco sets in motion a chain of events that touches four families across the globe.

7. “Flags of Our Fathers” (R); Grade: A-; with Clint Eastwood directing a war epic about the 1945 battle for Iwo Jima by brave Marines and Navy personnel.

8. “A Good Year” (PG-13); Grade: C+; with Russell Crowe in a mild feel-good tale about a profit-obsessed Englishman who learns the errors of his ways after inheriting a vineyard in France.

9. “Open Season” (PG); Grade: B-; with the voices of Martin Lawrence and Ashton Kutcher in a computer-animated tale about a domesticated grizzly bear with no survival skills and a mule deer with no common sense who are stalked by a hunter.

10. “The Return” (PG-13); Grade: C; with Sarah Michelle Gellar in a supernatural thriller about a young woman who wants to find the source of the nightmarish images that have been haunting her for years.

11. “Little Miss Sunshine” (R); Grade: B+; with Steve Carell, Toni Collette and Greg Kinnear in the highly acclaimed ensemble comedy about a dysfunctional family transporting a young girl to a beauty pageant. The film won Oscars for best original screenplay and supporting actor (Alan Arkin).

12. “Marie Antoinette” (PG-13); Grade: B+; with Kirsten Dunst in writer-director Sofia Coppola’s historical tale that uses contemporary touches to tell the story of a teenage girl who marries into the French royal family and then parties all the time. The film won an Oscar for best-costume design.

13. “The Guardian” (PG-13); Grade: B-; with Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner in a military picture about a grizzled Coast Guard veteran discovering whether young recruits possess the strength and endurance to be rescue swimmers.

14. “School for Scoundrels” (Unrated and PG-13); Grade: C-; with Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder in a comedy about a battle between a slick motivational speaker and a depressed parking-enforcement officer.

15. “Flyboys” (PG-13); Grade: B-; with James Franco in an old-school military movie about daredevil American pilots flying bombers for the French at the start of World War I.

16. “Gridiron Gang” (PG-13); Grade: B; with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in a fact-based tale about a probation officer who turns some juvenile felons into a football team.

17. “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny” (PG-13); Grade: B-; with Jack Black (“King Kong”) and his old music partner Kyle Gass in a broad comedy about two veteran rockers on an odyssey to find the ultimate guitar pick.

18. “The Illusionist” (PG-13); Grade: B+; with Edward Norton, Jessica Biel and Paul Giamatti in a romantic tale about a master magician using his skills in an attempt to save the woman he loves in turn-of-the-century Vienna.

19. “Tideland” (R); Grade: C; with Jeff Bridges in director Terry Gilliam’s extremely dark tale about a little girl who creates an imaginary world after her drug-addicted parents overdose.

20. “Half Nelson” (R); Grade: B+; with Oscar-nominee Ryan Gosling in a drama about a caring history teacher attempting to enlighten his poor students while suffering from a drug addiction.

Best Sellers

1. “The Departed” (R); Grade: A-; $28.99, DVD; $34.99, special edition DVD; $34.99, Blu-ray Disc; $39.99, HD DVD

2. “Flushed Away” (PG); Grade: C+; $29.99, DVD

3. “Stranger Than Fiction” (PG-13); Grade: A-; $28.99, DVD; $38.99, Blu-ray Disc

4. “The Prestige” (PG-13); Grade: B-; $29.99, DVD; $34.99, Blu-ray Disc

5. “Cinderella III: A Twist in Time” (G); Grade: B; $29.99, DVD

6. “Man of the Year” (PG-13); Grade: C; $29.99, DVD

7. “Open Season” (PG); Grade: B-; $28.99, DVD; $38.99, Blu-ray Disc

8. “Flags of Our Fathers” (R); Grade: A-; $29.99, DVD

9. “Marie Antoinette” (PG-13); Grade: B+; $28.99, DVD

10. “Babel” (R); Grade: B+; $29.99, DVD; $39.99, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD

Partial source: Video Business, wire-service and Web reports