Aliens are among us

The new aliens-among-us movie "District 9" scored surprisingly big at the box office over the weekend taking in more than $37 million.

In "District 9," a South African cop becomes the hunted after he is assigned to move a couple of million alien refugees from one slum into another and is accidentally infected with alien DNA.

Reel-life alien visitors to Earth often are treated badly even when they aren't trying to take over the planet through global warming, as in 1996's "The Arrival" with Charlie Sheen.

And who can blame humans for shooting at extraterrestrials trying to wipe us out in alien invasion movies such as "Independence Day" or "War of the Worlds."

Not all aliens are bad, however. Some are just looking for a good time, such as in "Earth Girls Are Easy" or "Mars Needs Women."

Some alien visitors are here to help, such as Starman sent to protect Earth from Nazi-type invaders in the Japanese camp classic "Attack From Space."

Still other alien visitors land here by accident, such as the black alien being chased through Harlem by outer space bounty hunters in "Brother From Another Planet."

Sometimes alien visitors want our help, such as the alien seeking water for his dying planet in "The Man Who Fell to Earth."

Here are six films available on video and DVD that feature aliens among us. Do you know who your neighbor really is?

"Men In Black" (1997) -- Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith (pictured above) work for a government agency that tracks alien visitors to Earth. Their job becomes a lot harder when an alien killer (Vincent D'Onofrio) shows up and threatens to start an interstellar war. Other stars include Rip Torn, Tony Shalhoub and Linda Fiorentino. More aliens visit Earth in the sequel "Men In Black II."

"Alien Nation" (1988) -- Alien refugees called Newcomers are slowly making lives for themselves in Southern California until a plot is discovered that might turn humans against the Newcomers in this sci-fi thriller. James Caan stars as a human cop partnered with the first Newcomer detective played by Mandy Patinkin. Terrence Stamp co-stars as a Newcomer drug dealer.

"Superman" (1978) -- Christopher Reeve stars as Superman, the only survivor from the planet Krypton, sent to Earth by his father (Marlon Brando) to protect mankind. Other stars include Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Jackie Cooper, Ned Beatty and Valerie Perrine.

"They Live" (1988) -- A drifter (Roddy Piper) finds a pair of sunglasses that allows him to see aliens who have taken over the planet and their subliminal messages in this camp sci-fi film. Other stars include David Keith and Meg Foster.

"The Hidden" (1987) -- An alien cop (Kyle MacLachlan) in the body of a dead FBI agent hunts an alien bad guy who keeps hopping from one human host to another in this quirky sci-fi thriller. Other stars include Michael Nouri, Claudia Christian and Clu Galager.

"Cocoon" (1985) -- A ditzy boat captain (Steve Guttenberg) and a handful of retirees (Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn and Don Ameche) stumble across four aliens (led by Brian Dennehy) who are trying to rescue comrades stuck in cocoons on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for millenia. Other stars include Tahnee Welch and Tyrone Power Jr., children of Raquel Welch and Tyrone Power.