Jan 2, 2008 4 min read

A fantasy sequel (“Resident Evil”), an action tale (“Shoot ‘Em Up”) and a crime picture (“War”) are among the new titles arriving at DVD outlets on this first weekend of 2008. The top DVD rental and sales titles are:

Best Renters

1. “Resident Evil: Extinction” (R); Grade: B-; with Milla Jovovich in the third installment of the series based on the popular video game about the hunt for zombies.

2. “Shoot ‘Em Up” (R); Grade: B; with Clive Owen, Monica Bellucci and Paul Giamatti in an action comedy with outrageously staged gun battles.

3. “Rush Hour 3” (PG-13); Grade: C; with Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in a follow-up that has the two fighting Asian gangsters in Paris.

4. “The Simpsons Movie” (PG-13); Grade: B; with Homer embarking on an animated odyssey of self-discovery as he destroys and then saves Springfield and renews family ties with Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie.

5. “The Bourne Ultimatum” (PG-13); Grade: B+; with Matt Damon, Joan Allen and Julia Stiles in a pulse-pounding thriller with the title character trying to piece together his past.

6. “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (PG-13); Grade: B+; with Daniel Radcliffe returning as the title character in this tale about the wrath of the evil Lord Voldemort.

7. “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (PG-13); Grade: B; with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley returning in a third installment that has the characters sailing into uncharted territory.

8. “The Kingdom” (R); Grade: B; with Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner in a thriller about an elite team of FBI agents dispatched to the Middle East to find those responsible for an explosion that kills some Americans.

9. “Superbad” (Unrated and R); Grade: B+; with Jonah Hill and Michael Cera in a raw but heartfelt comedy about two co-dependent high-school buddies trying to obtain beer to impress some girls.

10. “Live Free or Die Hard” (Unrated and PG-13); Grade: B; with Bruce Willis returning for his fourth appearance as tough cop John McClane in an old-school action tale that has the officer battling a deadly computer whiz.

11. “Balls of Fury” (PG-13); Grade: D; with Christopher Walken in an unfunny spoof of the Bruce Lee classic “Enter the Dragon” in which a ping-pong competition replaces a martial-arts tournament.

12. “Eastern Promises” (R); Grade: B+; with Viggo Mortensen in director David Cronenberg’s dark drama about a ruthless Russian mafia hit man touched by the innocence of a London midwife who is marked for death.

13. “Hairspray” (PG); Grade: A-; with John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer and Christopher Walken in a toe-tapping adaptation of the Broadway musical about a plus-size teenage girl fighting prejudice in Baltimore.

14. “Underdog” (PG); Grade: C; with TV favorite Jason Lee providing the voice of the canine superhero in this tale that combines live-action footage and computer-generated images.

15. “War” (R); Grade: C; with Jet Li and Jason Statham in a martial-arts action picture about a federal agent who vows to avenge the murder of his partner.

16. “The Heartbreak Kid” (R); Grade: C+; with Ben Stiller and Michelle Monaghan in an edgy, sometimes mean-spirited comedy about a newlywed who leaves his wife for another woman while on his honeymoon.

17. “Halloween: Unrated Director’s Cut” (Unrated and R); Grade: B-; with Malcolm McDowell in rocker-turned-filmmaker Rob Zombie’s re-imagining of John Carpenter’s stylish 1978 fright film.

18. “Once” (R); Grade: A; with guitarist Glen Hansard and pianist Marketa Irglova in an innovative romantic musical about a Dublin street performer and a young immigrant mother.

19. “Shrek the Third” (PG); Grade: B; with Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas again providing the voices in this follow-up in which the title character learns to accept responsibility.

20. “Waitress” (PG-13); Grade: B+; with Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion in a feel-good slice-of-life tale about an abused diner worker who dreams of a better life.

Best Sellers

1. “Resident Evil: Extinction” (R); Grade: B; $28.99, DVD; $39.99, Blu-ray Disc

2. “Rush Hour 3” (PG-13); Grade: C; $28.99, DVD; $34.99, double-disc, special-edition DVD; $34.99, Blu-ray Disc

3. “The Simpsons Movie” (PG-13); Grade: B; $29.99, DVD; $39.99, Blu-ray Disc

4. “Shoot ‘Em Up” (R); Grade: B; $28.99, DVD; $35.99, Blu-ray Disc

5. “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (PG-13); Grade: B+; $28.99, DVD; $34.99, two-disc, special-edition DVD; $35.99, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD

6. “The Bourne Ultimatum” (PG-13); Grade: B+; $29.99, DVD; $39.99, Blu-ray Disc; $39.99, HD DVD

7. “Disney’s High School Musical 2: Extended Edition” (G); Grade: B; $29.99, DVD; $34.99, Blu-ray Disc

8. “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (PG-13); Grade: B; $29.99, DVD; $34.99, two-disc special-edition DVD; $34.99, Blu-ray Disc

9. “Underdog” (PG); Grade: C; $29.99, DVD

10. “Superbad” (Unrated and R); Grade: B+; $28.99, DVD; $34.99, two-disc, special-edition DVD; $43.99, Blu-ray Disc

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