A trend I’ve seen recently in rental DVDs is blocking the special features, making them only available for purchase. This idea is bonkers, and I hope the powers that be realize it sooner rather than later. I can’t imagine anyone watching a rented movie and deciding to buy the DVD just so they can watch the special features, or at least not enough people to make a difference to the bottom line. To make the special features unavailable to renters seems spiteful. And in this age of streaming films, sometimes I call for the DVD specifically because I think the gag reel might be especially “good”. Eventually, I’m expecting Netflix to make deals with the film companies to include the special features in the streaming versions, as a sort of “second episode”.