This week's DVD, Blu-ray releases: 'No Strings Attached', 'Akira'

The recent slew of Natalie Portman movies this year starts to make its way onto Blu-ray and DVD, as rom-com No Strings Attached is her second home release of 2011 - with no doubt more coming in the months ahead. Also out is the melancholy Never Let Me Go and a re-release of the highly-regarded sci-fi anime flick Akira. Below, we preview the big home releases hitting store shelves today.

No Strings Attached
Starring: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline, Greta Gerwig
Format: BD, DVD
The movie: A modern take on the romantic comedy genre, No Strings Attached stars Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher as two friends who engage in frequent casual sex. The movie is still happy to stick to many of the same clichés that are commonplace in typical rom-coms, but witty writing and a strong supporting cast led by Kevin Kline make this a decent film.
Bonus features: Commentary with director Ivan Reitman; featurettes including 'Sex Friends: Getting Together', 'Inside the Sassy Halls of Secret High' and 'Modern Love: The Do's and Don't's'; deleted scenes; alternate storyline scenes.

Watch Ashton Kutcher and Ivan Reitman discuss No Strings Attached below:



Never Let Me Go
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield, Sally Hawkins
Format: BD, DVD
The movie: Based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, this British drama focuses on a trio of characters (the talented Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield) who learn that their only purpose is to donate organs and will thus die young. A love triangle is added into the mix as they dream of prolonging their lives and avoid their seemingly-inevitable fate. It's a bleak but also poignant story, and might be worthy of your attention.
Bonus features: Making-of documentary with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews; galleries including one of the cast and crew on the set; theatrical trailer.

Watch the UK trailer for Never Let Me Go below:



Yogi Bear
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Anna Faris, Tom Cavanagh
Format: BD 3D, DVD
The movie: Dan Aykroyd lends his voice to the popular Yogi Bear, supported by Justin Timberlake as his companion Boo-Boo in this live-action/CGI flick. The troublemaking bears like to get up to no good in Jellystone Park, but are forced to team up with a couple of park rangers and Anna Faris's Rachel, a documentary filmmaker, to save their home from being bulldozed by the greedy Mayor Brown. Yogi Bear is a straightforward movie with an earnest message about preserving the environment. It doesn't always hit the right notes, but this is one for the kids.

Watch a trailer for Yogi Bear below:



Akira
Starring: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Cam Clarke, Jan Rabson
Format: BD, DVD
The movie: The Japanese anime classic is re-released for both Blu-ray and DVD - though Blu-ray owners have the option to purchase a unique Collector's Edition of the film. Taking place in a post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo in 2019, the movie follows Shotaro Kaneda who is looking to stop the supremely powerful Akira from being broken out of his cryonic chamber. Akira is both a mesmerising story and for its time a technical animated achievement, so it's no wonder that Warner Bros. is aiming to produce a live-action version.
Bonus features: Two teasers; two trailers; television commercial; storyboards; soundtrack (Collector's Edition only); 40-page booklet (Collector's Edition only); steel book packaging (Collector's Edition only).

Watch an English trailer for Akira below:



Also out today: Season of the Witch (BD, DVD)