May 25, 2007 By Lou Gaul Calkins Media Film Critic 4 min read

An adventure epic (“Apocalypto”), a family drama (“Constellation”), a broad spoof (“Epic Movie”), a war thriller (“The Good German”) and an Oscar nominee (“Letters From Iwo Jima”) are the top titles arriving for this Memorial Day weekend. The top DVD rental and sales titles are:

Best Renters

1. “Apocalypto” (R); Grade: B; with Mel Gibson directing an intensely violent action-adventure epic about a young warrior who must elude his enemies in the jungle and return home to rescue his pregnant wife and son.

2. “Pan’s Labyrinth” (R); Grade: A-; with Ivana Banquero in Mexican director Guillermo del Toro’s dark, violent and chilling gothic fairy tale.

3. “Stomp the Yard” (PG-13); Grade: B-; with Columbus Short in a music-driven picture about a Los Angeles student who introduces students in a university in Atlanta to a dynamic dance style.

4. “Dreamgirls” (PG-13); Grade: A-; with Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy and Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson in an adaptation of Michael Bennett’s musical about a Supremes-like Motown group.

5. “Epic Movie” (Unrated and PG-13); Grade: C; with Kal Penn and Fred Willard in a broad and gross comedy that spoofs big-budget hits.

6. “Letters From Iwo Jima” (R); Grade: A-; with Ken Watanabe in director Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-nominated World War II drama about military life as seen through the eyes of Japanese soldiers.

7. “Music and Lyrics” (PG-13); Grade: B-; with Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant in a romantic comedy about a fading singing star who asks an eccentric young woman to help him write a pop song.

8. “Night at the Museum” (PG); Grade: B-; with Ben Stiller and Robin Williams in the comedy smash about a night guard who discovers that the displays at the Museum of Natural History come to life each night.

9. “Because I Said So” (PG-13); Grade: C; with Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore in a forced comedy about a driven mother obsessed with finding an eligible bachelor for her youngest daughter.

10. “The Good German” (R); Grade: B-; with George Clooney and Cate Blanchett in a drama about a military officer who returns to post-World War II Berlin to find his former lover and becomes involved in a murder mystery.

11. “Deja Vu” (PG-13); Grade: B; with Denzel Washington in a fun-to-watch thriller about a DEA agent who may be able to prevent a deadly incident by using cutting-edge technology to travel back in time and stop a bomb from detonating.

12. “Catch and Release” (PG-13); Grade: C; with Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant and Kevin Smith in a dull romantic comedy about a woman who must rebuild her life after her husband-to-be dies the day before their wedding.

13. “Smokin’ Aces” (R); Grade: B; with Jeremy Piven and Ryan Reynolds in a stylish thriller about a Las Vegas magician who becomes the target of hired killers after he agrees to testify against the mob.

14. “Arthur and the Invisibles” (PG); Grade: C; with Freddie Hightower in a children’s tale that blends live action and animation in a story about a boy seeking a hidden treasure in a land populated by little people living in harmony with nature.

15. “The Queen” (PG-13); Grade: A-; with Helen Mirren delivering her Oscar-winning performance as Elizabeth II in a compelling drama about the royal family member and her seemingly indifferent reaction to the death of Princess Diana.

16. “Constellation” (PG-13); Grade: C+; with Gabrielle Union in a drama about relatives from a dysfunctional family who gather after the death of a family member and try to come to terms with their troubled past.

17. “The Hitcher” (R); Grade: C; with Sean Bean in a remake about a madman who terrorizes two on-the-road college students.

18. “Happily N’Ever After” (PG); Grade: C+; with the voices of Sigourney Weaver and Sarah Michelle Gellar in a computer-animated tale about a battle that threatens to alter all of the feel-good endings of fairy tales.

19. “Alpha Dog” (R); Grade: B; with Justin Timberlake in a chilling, fact-based picture about some gang members who consider murdering a young rival after kidnapping him.

20. “The Pursuit of Happyness” (PG-13); Grade: B+; with Will Smith in an uplifting, fact-based story about a homeless single father struggling to earn an internship at a prestigious stock-brokerage firm.

Best Sellers

1. “Apocalypto” (R); Grade: B; $29.99, DVD; $34.99, Blu-ray Disc

2. “Epic Movie” (Unrated and PG-13); Grade: C+; $29.99, DVD

3. “Pan’s Labyrinth” (R); Grade: A-; $28.99, DVD; $34.99, special-edition DVD

4. “Letters From Iwo Jima” (R); Grade: A-; $34.99, two-disc DVD; $34.99, Blu-ray Disc; $39.99, HD DVD

5. “Stomp the Yard” (PG-13); Grade: B-; $28.99, DVD; $38.99, Blu-ray Disc

6. “Dreamgirls” (PG-13); Grade: A-; $29.99, DVD; $34.99, special-edition DVD; $39.99, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD

7. “Music and Lyrics” (PG-13); Grade: B-; $28.99, DVD

8. “Night at the Museum” (PG); Grade: B-; $29.99, DVD; $34.99, two-disc DVD; $39.99, Blu-ray Disc

9. “The Queen” (PG-13); Grade: A-; $29.99, DVD; $34.99, Blu-ray Disc

10. “M*A*S*H Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” (Unrated); Grade: A; $29.99, DVD)

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