Part of the New Line Platinum Series, the 2003 family film Secondhand Lions comes to DVD from Warner Home Video. The disc contains both widescreen and full-frame transfers. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. Optional subtitles are available in English and Spanish. Director Tim McCanlies provides an audio commentary track. Also included are deleted and alternate scenes with optional director commentary and the featurettes "Secondhand Lions: One Screenplay's Wild Ride in Hollywood, " "On the Set With Secondhand Lions," and "Haley Joel Osment: An Actor Comes of Age." Other special features include theatrical trailers, TV spots, visual-effects comparisons, and DVD-ROM material. Recommended for family viewing.
Kevin Costner's 2003 Western Open Range comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. English soundtracks are rendered in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. Spanish subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by Costner. He talks about his theories as a director, his affection for the Western genre (a type of movie that, with this film, he proves he has absorbed), and many tales about the film's production. His commentary is as earnest and heartfelt as the film itself. A second DVD is full of information on the making of the film, allowing the viewer access to almost every aspect of the process. This is a strong disc from Disney/Buena Vista that will be of particular interest to any genre enthusiast.