Feb 23, 2007 By Lou Gaul Calkins Media Film Critic 5 min read

Five diverse titles – an Oscar nominee (“Babel”), an animated tale (“Flushed Away”), a Hollywood spoof (“For Your Consideration”), a political comedy (“Man of the Year”) and a magical thriller (“The Prestige”) – are landing in DVD outlets on this weekend of the Oscar ceremony (being held Sunday night). The top DVD rental and sales titles are:

Best Renters

1. “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.

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

3. “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.

4. “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.

5. “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 family across the globe.

6. “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.

7. “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.

8. “Saw III: Unrated Edition” (Unrated and R); Grade: B-; with Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith setting more deadly traps in the hit third installment of the horror series.

9. “The Grudge 2” (Unrated and PG-13); Grade: C; with Amber Tamblyn traveling the terror trail in this sequel that has an evil spirit vacating a burned-down house in Tokyo to terrify new victims.

10. “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.

11. “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.

12. “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.

13. “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.

14. “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.

15. “Little Miss Sunshine” (R); Grade: B+; with Steve Carell, Toni Collette and Greg Kinnear in the highly acclaimed ensemble comedy, which has been nominated for an Oscar as best picture, about a dysfunctional family transporting a young girl to a beauty pageant.

16. “For Your Consideration” (PG-13); Grade: B-; with Christopher Guest starring in and directing an improvised comedy about some actors who hear rumors that they may receive Oscar nominations for their work.

17. “The Marine: Unrated” (Unrated and PG-13); Grade: NP; with WWE favorite John Cena in an action tale about a veteran who returns from Iraq and then must use his combat skills to save his kidnapped wife.

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. “Flicka” (PG); Grade: B-; with Maria Bello and Tim McGraw in a family drama about a teenage girl who assumes responsibility for taming a wild horse. It’s a loose remake of “My Friend Flicka” (1943).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. “The Grudge 2” (Unrated and PG-13); Grade: C; $28.99, DVD

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

10. “Flicka” (PG); Grade: B-; $29.99, DVD

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