Feb 26, 2008 By Lou Gaul, Calkins Media Film Critic 5 min read

A fantasy epic (“Beowulf: Director’s Cut”), a British import (“Death at a Funeral”), a relationship comedy (“The Darjeeling Limited”), a historical melodrama (“Goya’s Ghosts”) and a vampire chiller (“30 Days of Night”) are among the new titles arriving at DVD outlets on this last week of February. The top DVD rental and sales offerings are:

Best Renters

1. “Beowulf: Director’s Cut” (Unrated and PG-13); Grade: B; with Angelina Jolie and Anthony Hopkins in director Robert Zemeckis’ computer-enhanced action epic about a warrior killing a deformed creature and then battling a revenge-seeking mother.

2. “30 Days of Night” (R); Grade: B; with Josh Hartnett in an adaptation of the graphic novel about hungry vampires who stalk humans stranded in a remote Alaskan town during a month of darkness.

3. “Michael Clayton” (R); Grade: B+; with George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton in writer-director Tony Gilroy’s legal drama about an attorney who works for corrupt bosses and receives an opportunity to redeem himself.

4. “American Gangster: 2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition” (Unrated and R); Grade: B+; with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in director Ridley Scott’s fact-based crime drama about a Harlem drug dealer and the government agent who pursued him.

5. “Gone Baby Gone” (R); Grade: A-; with Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan and Morgan Freeman in a gritty Boston-set police drama about the hunt for a kidnapped child.

6. “No Reservations” (PG); Grade: B-; with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart and Abigail Breslin in a comedy about an uptight New York City chef whose world goes out of control due to her 9-year-old niece and a man who takes a romantic interest in her.

7. “The Game Plan” (PG); Grade: B; with wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in a family favorite about a skirt-chasing NFL star who discovers that he has a young daughter.

8. “Across the Universe” (PG-13); Grade: B+; with Evan Rachel Wood, Salma Hayek and Bono in a music-driven love story that’s set in the 1960s, looks at protests of that era and delivers its story via songs by the Beatles.

9. “The Brave One” (R); Grade: B; with Jodie Foster in a gritty, dark-themed thriller about a woman who becomes a vigilante after her fiancé is murdered by thugs during an attack in New York’s Central Park.

10. “In the Valley of Elah” (R); Grade: B+; with Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon in a military drama about a father’s quest to find his son, who disappeared shortly after returning home after a tour of Iraq.

11. “Why Did I Get Married?” (PG-13); Grade: B; with Sharon Leal, Janet Jackson and Richard T. Jones in writer-director Tyler Perry’s hit relationship comedy.

12. “The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford” (R); Grade: B+; with Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck in an artistic frontier tale about the famous outlaw during his final days as he grows tired of his fame and becomes increasingly paranoid.

13. “We Own the Night” (R); Grade: C; with Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg in a New York-set relationship drama about two very different brothers, one a decorated police officer and the other a manipulative club manager.

14. “Rendition” (R); Grade: C+; with Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal and Meryl Streep in a heavy-handed drama about an Egyptian man taken by the government for questioning and held without explanation.

15. “Death at a Funeral” (R); Grade: B; with Matthew Macfadyen, Peter Dinklage and Daisy Donovan in a dark comedy about numerous problems that occur at the services of a deceased family patriarch with a hidden past.

16. “The Darjeeling Limited” (R); Grade: B; with Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman in an eccentric comedy about three American brothers trying to bond during a train trip across India.

17. “3:10 to Yuma” (R); Grade: B; with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in a gritty remake of the frontier favorite about a bankrupt rancher forced to transport a dangerous criminal to a prison train.

18. “Margot at the Wedding” (R); Grade: B-; with Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jack Black in a dark comedy about two eccentric sisters whose dysfunctional relationship shatters when one announces her plans to marry.

19. “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (PG-13); Grade: C; with Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush in an unremarkable sequel to “Elizabeth,” the 1998 art-house hit.

20. “Goya’s Ghosts” (R); Grade: C; with Javier Bardem and Natalie Portman in a strained import concerning the painter known for his grim depictions of the brutality of war and life in 18th century Spain.

Best Sellers

1. “Beowulf: Director’s Cut” (Unrated and PG-13); Grade: B; $29.99, DVD; $39.99, HD DVD

2. “30 Days of Night” (R); Grade: B; $28.99, DVD; $38.99, Blu-ray Disc

3. “American Gangster: 2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition” (Unrated and R); Grade: B+; $29.99, DVD; $39.99, HD DVD

4. “Michael Clayton” (R); Grade: B+; $28.99, DVD; $35.99, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD

5. “Walt Disney’s Snow Buddies” (G); Grade: NP; $29.99, DVD

6. “Gone Baby Gone” (R); Grade: A-; $29.99, DVD; $34.99, Blu-ray Disc

7. “Why Did I Get Married?” (PG-13); Grade: B; $29.99, DVD

8. “Walt Disney’s The Aristocats: Special Edition” (G); Grade: B+; $29.99, DVD

9. “Across the Universe” (PG-13); Grade: B+; $28.99, DVD; $38.99, Blu-ray Disc

10. “3:10 to Yuma” (R); Grade: B; $29.99, DVD; $39.99, Blu-ray Disc

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