Tuesday, April 1, 2014

DVD to iPad Air : Copy/Transfer DVD Movies For Playback on iPad Air

This simple tutorial mainly shows you how to convert and rip DVDs to iPad Air supported video formats so that you can play DVD movies on Apple iPad Air anytime, anywhere. 

Apple finally released the fifth-generation tablet iPad Air alongside the iPad Mini 2 with Retian Display on October 22, 2013, just weeks after the sensational iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C launch event. This time iPad Air is slimmer and narrower than its brothers, while remaining the existing 9.7-inch screen size. With that in mind, it is tempting to get this glamorous gadget for watching DVD movies and videos on its HD retina display.



However, iPad Air doesn't have a built-in DVD-ROM or DVD player. If you have some DVD movie collections and want to enjoy DVD movies on the iPad Air, you need to convert DVD to iPad Air accepted videos on computer as your first move along with some help from third-party softwares. To help those who wanna get DVD movies off of DVDs and onto iPad Air for playback, below, I would throw a quick tutorial up.

As mentioned above, in order to download and put DVD movies to iPad Air, we need use a 3rd-party tool to rip DVD movies to iPad Air compatible video formats such as MP4, AVI etc. DVD Ripping software varies. You may confused about choosing a suitable tool. If so, I recommend you try Pavtube DVD to iPad Air Converter (Alternative Mac version of DVD to iPad Air Converter). It is easy to use for editing and conversion and makes great quality copies of my DVDs.

To be honest, Pavtube DVD Ripper can help you rip and convert all the DVD discs even DVD ISO/IFO image files. Besides, the audio/video synchronization is very good, the size of the subtitles too. If you have any requirements of outputting 3D (Anaglyph, T/P, SBS) or keeping multiple audio tracks/subtitles, you are suggested to try this Blu-ray/DVD to iPad Air Converter Pro. Below is how.

A Simple guide: How to convert DVD movies to iPad Air compatible video formats

Note: The quick start guide below uses DVD Ripper Windows screenshots. The way to rip DVD movies to iPad Air on Mac is almost the same. Just make sure you get the right version according to your computer operating system.

1. Run this Pavtube DVD Ripper as the best DVD to iPad Air Converter; load disc.

Click the top left icon, you can choose to import DVD from ROM, DVD folder or DVD ISO/IFO. It will check the main title by default; moreover, ISO files could also be recognized automatically so that you no longer need to run virtual drive to mount it.


2. Choose format.

Click "Format" drop-down list and choose "iPad>iPad Air Full HD Video(*.mp4)" as the compatible MP4 preset with best video quality. Or you can choose other presets if you don't need full size videos. To get the customized profile, you'll need to download a patch here;



3. Start Conversion.

You can hit the big red "Convert" to start converting DVD to iPad Air MP4 with best video settings. After the conversion, click "Open output folder" in the conversion window, or "Open" in main interface to quick locate the converted video.

After getting the converted movies files, you can transfer them to new iPad Air via iTunes. If you don't know how to put and play movie onto new iPad Air , just follow the steps to realize it:

1) Make sure you have install iTunes. If not, you can free download iTunes here at first. And launch the iTunes.

2) Connect iPad Air to Mac/PC.

3) Choose "File –> Add File to Library…"

4) Drag the .mp4 file you want to the iPad Air icon

So there you have it. Prette simple. Now, you can enjoy and view DVD movies on iPad Air anytime everywhere for great digital fun.

Additonal Tips:

If your movie isn't already in one of the iPad Air supported formats or it's still on a DVD or a Blu-ray, you can get the Video Converter Ultimate or the iMedia Converter Mac) which can help you convert Blu-ray/DVD/ISO/IFO and various formats of 720p/1080p HD videos in MKV, AVI, TiVo, VOB, MPG, MTS, etc. to your iPad Air, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, iPad 3, iPod 5, Apple TV 3 and other iOS/Android/Windows 8 tablets/phones for smoothly playing. (

Read More:

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Backup your Blu-ray/DVD video to Media Player Classic for watching in full screen

Description: This article will give you the solution to backup your Blu-ray/DVD video to watching on Media Player Classic for watching in full screen with unlocking the aspect ration.

I'm a Blu-ray and DVD fan and collector,now I wanna share my experience here for viewing BD/DVD on MPC Player. As I like watching movies, so I need to backup my precious discs then watch most of my Blu ray films in full screen. Then I'm looking for a way converting my dvd/bluray movies to a file format that unlocks the aspect ration so that I can use Media Player Classic to watch them in full screen glory. And I'm wondering if any converter can do this.


To transfer Blu-ray/DVD to play on my Media Player Classic, I think the first step is to remove commercial Blu-ray discs and DVDs protection from film studio, and then do the conversion. After googling several review sites, I have found this Pavtube BDMagic which does a great job in quick decrypting the protected discs within a few clicks.

Not so much the feature that made me choose over other brand but I read reviews to see which one got better ratings. However, the feature that I stated in number one was paramount. Took some experimenting to find the best format for my needs, I find MKV HD is the best format for outputting. In this way, I can freely watch my favorite on my MPC Player in full screen. Also, I can convert Blu-ray/DVD onto my two iPhone and Samsung Galaxy for watching films with it.


You are free to try free trial version (Pavtube BDMagic for Mac is for Mac users).

Now let me show you how to backup Blu-ray/DVD to Media Player Classic for watching in full screen with unlocking the aspect ration.

Note: A blu-ray drive is needed before Blu-ray conversion.

1. Import Blu-ray/DVD to Pavtube BDMagic.

Click "Load file" icon on the top left to load the Blu-ray/DVD disc.


2. Choose MKV HD format for playing on Media Player Classic.

Under "Format" menu, there are lots of video formats. Go to find "HD Video" option and choose "MKV HD Video (*.mkv)", I find it is the best format for playing in Media Player Classic after severial trials.

Tips: If you want to convert Blu-ray to other video formats or portable devices, just choose the video format you need or select portable devices in the dropdown list.

3. Adjust video specs or change aspect ratio (Optional)

If you are not satisfied with default specs, then click “Settings” to enter Profiles Settings windows; here you can customize video frame rate, bitrate,size and other settings freely.

Note: If you want to trim, crop, editaudio/subtitles or adjust aspect ratio, click the pencil-like icon and switchto “Crop” tab. Choose Advanced mode, lock the “Keep Ratio” and you can free change aspect ratio. Usually it will be set to “Original”, you can change it to 16:9 when playing on TV, or select other options.

4. Start conversion.

Click big "Convert" button to start conversion. It won't take much time for conversion and then you will get MKV HD once completed. Hit "Open" button you will go to location of generated files.

Then go to fully enjoy your favorite Blu-ray/DVD whenever you wanna on Media Player Classic in full screen glory.

Main features in BDMagic:

* Full Disc Copy can 1:1 backup the whole Blu-ray/DVD disc with original structure including chapter markers.

* Directly Copy will backup 100% intact Blu-ray main movie with all the multiple tracks excluding menu.

* Rip and Convert latest Blu-ray/DVD to various video formats for playback or editing, edit the video before conversion including trim, crop, effect, etc, add *sst and *ass subtitle into video part and so on.

Read more:

Ripping my DVDs to MP4s for viewing on my Android
Top Blu-ray Ripper- Convert Blu-ray to MP4 format
Rip my Blu-rays to Plex Media Server for streaming

Monday, March 24, 2014

No way to Rip Schwarzenegger Blu-ray Collection? ByteCopy Help you!

Description: Look no further when coping or ripping Schwarzenegger Blu-ray Collection? Here is a brief guide to help you to freely watch Schwarzenegger Blu-ray movies with perfect video/audio sync and best quality.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian/American actor, politician and businessman who started his career out as a weight-lifter. Born July 30, 1947 in Thal, Styria, Austria, Schwarzenegger with a keen interest in physical fitness and seemingly indomitable drive, parlayed his notoriety as a five-time Mr. Universe and seven-time Mr. Olympia champion to turn himself into a Hollywood movie star and public personality.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is known for:



The Terminator (1984): A human-looking indestructible cyborg is sent from 2029 to 1984 to assassinate a waitress, whose unborn son will lead humanity in a war against the machines, while a soldier from that war is sent to protect her at all costs.

Predator (1987): A team of commandos, on a mission in a Central American jungle, find themselves hunted by an extra-terrestrial warrior.

Total Recall (1990): When a man goes for virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real, or does he?

True Lies (1994): Harry Tasker is a secret agent for the United States Government. For years, he has kept his job from his wife, but is forced to reveal his identity and try to stop nuclear terrorists when he and his wife are kidnapped by the terrorists.

If you are keen to collect the hot Schwarzenegger Blu-ray Collection, but it’s not easy to get these Blu-ray movies playback on your PC or portable devices without external Blu-ray drive and Blu-ray player. Also frequent watching Schwarzenegger Blu-rays will make your discs easy to be scratched.

So how can we watch Schwarzenegger Blu-ray movies without limitation? What’s the best format to convert to? Can we finish all the tasks with one go?

Here Pavtube ByteCopy is recommended. It will help you to remove the copyright protection of the disc and convert to whatever videos you want. With it, you can enjoy your favorite Blu-ray movies at any time and safe the original discs from being ruined at the same time. And it will provide you various ways to backup of the Schwarzenegger Blu-ray discs, just choose the one you like most.

First of all, free download Windows version (Bytecopy for Mac is for Mac users) and run the software to learn how to copy Schwarzenegger Blu-ray disc in three ways.

Step 1. Import Blu-ray discs to Pavtube ByteCopy.

Run the best Blu-ray backup software, click "Load files" icon to load the Blu-ray discs. After successful 100% load, click the select main title you are able to preview the whole movie in the preview window, which works just like a media player.

Note: When loading discs, please make sure your computer is networked and Blu-ray disc drive is installed properly.



Step 2. Different ways for copying Schwarzenegger Blu-ray disc to avoid scratched by children.

Here I will show you three different ways of lossless backup Schwarzenegger Blu-ray disc:

Method 1. Full disc copy: 1:1 backup the entire disc with original structure and chapter marks

If you want to copy a Schwarzenegger Blu-ray discs for further playback with keep the original structure of disc, that is what exactly "Full disc copy" can do for you.

Click "Copy the entire disc" icon on the interface and you are brought to conversion progress immediately. After conversion, go to "Open output folder" you will get a generated folder combined with two folders: "BDMV" and "CERTIFICATE". All the M2TS files are located in BDMV folder.


Method 2. Directly Copy: 100% backup the intact main movie of Schwarzenegger Blu-ray discs

If you just want to copy the main movie for playback without the menu and promotional clips etc, "Directly Copy", which will takes less time for conversion and occupies less space than Full disc copy, is right for you.

Click "Format" menu and go to "Copy" option, choose "Directly Copy" for output format.

Then click "Convert" button to start conversion. Once finished, you will get a converted file in M2TS format for Schwarzenegger Blu-ray disc.

Read more detailed steps: Lossless backup Blu-ray main movie in original format

Method 3. Lossless Multi-track MKV: lossless backup Schwarzenegger Blu-ray to MKV with multitracks preservation.

If you want to convert to MKV files without quality loss and preserve all multiple audio and subtitle tracks from original Schwarzenegger Blu-ray disc, or want to select some audio and subtitle tracks you need for output, Lossless Multi-track MKV is perfect. And chapter mark is preserved in MKV files. In this way, you can select any audio and subtitle track and chapter mark you want when playing it in media player.

Go to find "Multi-track Video" option under "Format" dropdown list, then choose "Lossless/encoded Multi-track MKV (*.mkv)" for output.

Then click "Convert" button to start and definitely you will get a MKV file with multiple tracks.

Read more detailed steps: Keep multiple audio and subtitle streams when backing up Blu-ray Disc to MKV/MP4/MOV

Note 1: If you want to remove the unnecessary audio or subtitle track to shrink the output MKV files, you can go to click "Settings" button to uncheck what you do not need. What’s more, do not check "Encode" for the output MKV if you wanna a lossless file.


Note 2: Not all media player can support to play multi-track videos, so you can try powerful VLCPlayer to play output multi-track MKV files with chapter mark. And the generated folder made by "Full disc copy" also can be played with them.

Every time when the conversion is finished, "Open" button on the main interface will help you to locate the generated files. If you try to copy one Schwarzenegger Blu-ray disc in different ways, you do not need to worry about that the previous one will be covered because of the same file name. In this case, the software will automatically add number 1, 2, 3… in the end of file name because of built-in setting of renamed the same file name.

Above all, you can choose any way of them to copy your Schwarzenegger Blu-ray disc without quality loss and then share them with your family or friends.

More features:

However, what ByteCopy can do for you is more than it. It can support adding srt, ass, ssa subtitles and converting Blu-ray disc to various formats for many popular devices, like MP4/MOV with multi-track audios, M4V, AVI, WMV, MPG, M2TS, etc for playback on iOS/Android/Windows Tablets/Phones, HD Media Players (WDTV), editing software including Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere, etc, and more. So it is also a good helper for you to easily enjoy Schwarzenegger Blu-ray disc when out of home or edit it.

View Pavtube Special Offer page to get more Money-saving Tips:

ByteCopy($42) + Video Converter Ultimate($65) = Only $79.9, Save $27.1 
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Related articles:
Backup Arnold Schwarzenegger Blu-ray Movies to PC/Mac
Copy Arnold Schwarzenegger DVD Collections to hard drive for watching in future
Rip/Copy Stallone Blu-ray Collection to Mac/Tablet/Phone/HD Media Players for playing

Saturday, March 22, 2014

[HOT] Get Pavtube ByteCopy Giveaway worth $42 For free

Giveaway!!!! Giveaway!!!! Giveaway!!!!

Hi, Friend! I'm so excited to tell you the amazing news that we are going to have a giveway of Pavtube ByteCopy for Windows or Mac at 0:00 on March 23th, 2014, U.S.A. California Los Angeles time. This is only a 24 hours giveway which is providing the great and strong BD/DVD multi-track tool totally the same as Pavtube official (42usd) retail version; no time limit, no watermarks. 

Key features for Pavtube ByteCopy (Windows/Mac) are as below:


  • Backup BD/DVD to MKV without quality loss (keep 1080p quality at 16:9 aspect ratio). 
  • Convert/rip/shrink/copy latest Blu-ray/DVD movies for Android/iOS/Windows device, editing program, HD player, game console, etc. 
  • Allow full preservation of all audio tracks, subtitles and chapter markers. 
  • Remove unwanted subs streams and audio tracks 
  • Preserve soundtracks and subs in multiple languages, e.g. English, Spanish, French, Deutsch… 

The giveaway page is here:

ByteCopy (Windows) giveaway:

http://giveaway.glarysoft.com/pavtubebytecopyv1.0-728/

ByteCopy (Mac) giveaway:

http://giveaway.glarysoft.com/pavtubebytecopyv1.0(formac)-729/

Note: The giveaway version may not be updated in the future.

How to get the giveaway?

The way to get licence is very easy and convenient. Just visit the Glarysoft Giveaway page and click download now when the giveaway start to get fully licensed software for free. Only available on 23th, please don't miss this chance.

Hurry Up!

Got it? Great! I know you're gonna like the software but you can click the thumb to praise and say “Thanks” by tweeting this link and sharing on Facebook. By doing this, you're giving your friends a $42 dollar gift and you're supporting us to host more giveaways! Come on, sharing only takes about 5 seconds.

More featured titles:

Blu-ray Ripper is capable of 1:1 copying BD/DVD Disc content to local computer or external hard drive in original file structure with all subtitle tracks and audio streams preserved. Pavtube Blu-ray Ripper also supports backing up only movie content without extras to save time and storage space. At the same time, it rips/converts 3D Blu-ray discs, 2D Blu-ray discs, and standard DVDs to your desired HD and SD media formats.

Pavtube DVD Ripper provides movie lovers, children and people in any group with the easiest and fastest way to backup and rip DVD movies. It rips and converts DVD movies to MP4/AVI/MKV/WMV and many other video and audio formats with high quality. It lets you enjoy DVD movies on any portable device like iPhone 5, Galaxy S4, Lumia 920, PS4, Xperia Z, Surface, etc.

Pavtube Video Converter Ultimate provides 1:1 backup Blu-ray/DVD movies from disc to PC hard drive for disc burning and ISO image creating. It converts Blu-ray, DVD and video to MP4/AVI/MKV/WMV any popular video and audio formats. Besides, it allows for video editing tools including trimming, cropping, splitting, attaching srt/ass/ssa subtitles and special effects to add more fun when watching movies and videos.

More step-by-step guides can be found here:

Bytecopy windows guides: http://www.multipelife.com/bytecopy/tips
ByteCopy for Mac guides: http://www.multipelife.com/bytecopy-mac/tips

Source: Pavtube ByteCopy for Mac v1.0 Giveaway [Save 42$]

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Free watch Stallone’s The Expendables 2 Blu-ray on Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet

With the help of this article, you can set the best video format for enjoying Stallone’s The Expendables 2 Blu-ray movies with Sony Xperia Z2 anytime and anywhere.

The Expendables 2
 


The Expendables are back and this time it's personal... Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren),Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) -- with newest members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) aboard -- are reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) enlists the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job.

The task looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time - six pounds of weapons-grade plutonium; enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that's nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary who savagely murdered their brother. That is done the Expendables way....

Director: Simon West
Writers: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Wenk, Ken Kaufman, David Agosto, David Callaham
Actors: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger
Genre: Action and Adventure
Run Time: 1 hour 43 minutes

Want to to pre-order Sony Xperia Z2 and view Stallone’s The Expendables 2 Blu-ray movies on Xperia Z2 like me? Sony’s Xperia Z2 looks very much like its predecessor, the Xperia Z1 with which you can get the complete entertainment experience with 4K ultra HD video recording and movies, music and games to enjoy on a pin-sharp 5.2-inch screen.  However, without ripping, you can't directly Blu-ray to Xperia Z2.
No problem, with a useful Blu-ray to Xperia Z2 converter, you can easily convert Stallone’s The Expendables 2 Blu-ray movie to Xperia Z2 support format on Windows 8.1/8/7.

Software required:
Please download the right version of Pavtube Blu-ray Ripper first, and the following guide is based on windows version.

Rip Stallone’s The Expendables 2 Blu-ray movie files to Xperia Z2 supportted video 

Step 1. Run this Top Blu-ray Ripper, as the Blu-ray to Sony Xperia Converter.

Click "Load Disc" to choose Load your Blu-ray Disc. Pavtube Blu-ray Ripper, as the Blu-ray to Xperia Converter, will detect the real main title and check it by default.



Tip: You can select a subtitle language and then check Forced subtitles to output a video with only subtitles in the foreign language part.

Step 2. Select Sony Xperia Z2 compatible format.

Hit the "Format" menu you could choose the suitable profile for Sony Xperia Z2. When you cannot find the particular profile for your device from Pavtube BDMagic for Mac, don't worry, it includes several general presets which are compatible for most Android phones and tablets.

Tips:

1. You can customize video specs by clicking the "Settings" icon on program interface, you are allowed to set presets to get better video and audio performance on your Sony Xperia Z2.

Video


Codec: h.264
Size: 1280*720/1920*1080
Bitrate: 1500~2500
Frame rate: 24

Audio

Codec: aac
Sample rate: 48000
Bitrate: 128000
Channels: Stereo

Note: Higher Bitrate leads to better video quality in saved file, but it also creates larger video size. Don't forget the balance between video quality and size.

2. If you want to leave out the title and tail leader of the film when you transfer your Blu-ray to Xperia Z2, 

click "Editor", Then use the "trim" function to set start and end time of your videos. The length of the output video could depend on your own need.



Step 3. Start the Stallone’s The Expendables 2 Blu-ray to MP4 conversion.

When everything is OK, just press the "Convert" button to start the Blu-ray to Xperia Z2 MP4 conversion. It will not take much time. Just wait for the conversion process to get done.

After conversion, you can click "Open output folder" to quick locate the converted video. Then transfer and enjoy Stallone’s The Expendables 2 Blu-ray on Sony Xperia Z2 anytime and anywhere.

Additional Tips:
If you want to convert Blu-ray movie to MP4 with multiple audio tracks (languages) for your Surface, try our ByteCopy or ByteCopy for Mac

If you are looking for a powerful all-in-one ultimate video converter software to convert various 1080p/720p videos, Blu-ray and DVDs to your tablet or phone for enjoying, simultaneously saving time and effort, Video Converter Ultimate program will be a nice choice for you. If you are running a Mac OS X computer, iMedia Converter Mac is the alternative.

Related Articles:

Sony to Showcase Xperia Z2 at CES 2014 
Rip and Convert DVD movies on Sony Xperia Z2 in multi-track MP4 format
Easiest solution to play MKV, AVI, VOB, WMV, Tivo, MPG, Flash videos on Xperia Z2

Monday, March 17, 2014

Review: "Frozen" Blu-ray Warms My Heart

With over a billion dollars made, tons of merchandise, and lots of little girls replaying “Let it Go” incessantly (much to the annoyance of their parents), Disney’s Frozen is a phenomenon now. It almost feels pointless to review a movie that virtually everybody has seen, but I know some of you are interested in my opinion, so here we go.



I’ll tell you what I like about Frozen.

First of all, much like Tangled, it takes an existing fairy tale and very loosely adapts it, but it could be argued that the changes work in its favor, at least for movie storytelling purposes. Rather than the ice queen, named Elsa, being a straight-up villain, she’s reimagined as a misunderstood young woman who is hesitant to connect with anyone after an accident as a child nearly kills her energetic sister, Anna. Elsa’s rationale is very understandable: if she doesn’t get close to anybody, she can’t hurt them. This relationship strain reaches its peak on Anna and Elsa’s 18th birthday, when the two host an open palace gala, but Elsa’s powers are revealed to the shocked public. Scared, Elsa flees to the high mountains and carves out an ice palace for herself. It’s up to Anna to find Elsa and try to convince her to return home, hopefully mending their distant relationship in the process.


What I like most about Frozen is that it subverts our expectations of Disney movies. Elsa isn’t your typical “I hate everything just because” queen, but someone we pity and hope will come out of her shell. In fact, without giving too much away, the person who is actually the antagonist is not who we suspect. On a second viewing, I’m impressed that the movie is well-directed enough that the villain’s reveal is unexpected but doesn’t feel like a contrived and arbitrary plot twist either, because they keep this person just undeveloped enough to make their reveal a surprise. The motif of “true love” is also nicely subverted here in more ways than one. Early in the film, Anna courts Hans, a prince she’s convinced is her true love, but upon joining mountain man Kristoff in her journey to rescue Elsa, he makes her realize how hollow her relationship with Hans was. Without giving anything away, the finale also presents a unique take on “true love,” something which ties in nicely with the story’s theme.

As usual for Disney, the movie is eye candy in more ways than one. The kingdom of Arendelle, with its sprawling mountains, looks lovely, even during the scenes when it’s covered with snow (a nasty side effect of Elsa’s stress). It would be easy for a mostly white landscape to look bland, but they kept it varied enough. The ice effects and resulting reflections are similarly well-done, and we get to see them at work numerous times in the film. Great character animation rounds out the package, continuing the trend from Tangled of cute, expressive female leads (especially the plucky Anna) that make you forget you’re watching a CG cartoon and just let you get immersed in the character’s mannerisms and personalities.


Also like Tangled, Frozen combines a number of moods successfully. The infamous teaser trailer, where a walking talking snowman named Olaf and Kristoff’s moose Sven fight over a carrot on slippery ice, made the film look like a wacky Ice Age-style comedy, but the actual film is really more of a drama with infrequent comedic and action elements. It also introduces the non-dramatic moments without feeling disjointed or schizophrenic. Above all, though, what matters most is: Did I care about the characters? Yes. I wanted to see Elsa and Anna reunite, I wanted to see the villain get their comeuppance, and I stayed interested in the story throughout.

Most of my criticisms of Frozen are nitpicks and personal opinions. For one, the movie tries a little too hard to be a musical; a couple musical numbers felt superfluous and could’ve easily been spoken in dialog instead. And the song styles feel tailor-made to a future Broadway show. A cynical viewer could point to this and say, “Ugh, a movie just isn’t enough, is it Disney? You have to conquer musical theater too? I bet they designed it that way on purpose.” While some of the songs are indeed pretty memorable, there are others that I’m hard-pressed to hum even after seeing the movie twice. Didn’t really have that problem with Tangled.

Unrelated to the songs, a case could also be made for the Elsa/Anna relationship being repetitive. There are quite a few instances where Anna tries to convince Elsa to be warmer, but is rejected. Obviously, reluctance to change one’s personality is very true to life, but from a storytelling standpoint it does give that feel of, “Didn’t we already have a scene like this?” I also wasn’t crazy about Olaf, the comic relief snowman. He’s not really an annoying sidekick, and he has a couple amusing moments, but he adds little to the movie. Yeah, he gives comfort to Anna in a scene towards the end, but for the most part he exists to take up space and provide another tie-in toy for kids to buy.

Finally, if you really want to overanalyze Frozen, the argument could be made that the entire premise of the movie is based on a misunderstanding. I’m not referring to the distant Anna/Elsa relationship, either; I mean that when Elsa is revealed to have these freezing powers, she’s instantly assumed to be an evil sorceress. I know people fear the unknown, but why can’t the townspeople have a different reaction than “She practices black magic! Arrest her!” It doesn’t help that Elsa is forced to use the ice as attacks to protect herself when some soldiers come to her palace later in the film, thus perpetuating the misunderstanding that she’s violent and unpredictable.

However, despite these criticisms, I still very much enjoyed Frozen and was glad I saw it. But enough about the movie itself; what does the Blu-ray set give us?


“Get a Horse”, a brand new Mickey Mouse cartoon that played beforeFrozen in theaters, runs 6 min. It lovingly recreates the bouncy, rubber hose, full animation style of the ‘30s cartoons, but puts a twist on things after about two minutes by kicking Mickey out of the screen to render him in more realistic CG. Normally, that would be interesting enough, but the 2D and 3D animation keep interacting with each other. For innovation alone, this is a great short, but it also has a few laughs as well. An interesting thing about “Get a Horse” is how the dialog is primarily made of archival vocals, akin to 2011’s “I Tawt I Taw a Putty Tat”.

Unfortunately, any hopes of a comprehensive behind-the-scenes documentary on this release are dashed. “The Making of Frozen” runs a little over three minutes. The title is the most flagrant use of false advertising I’ve ever seen; it’s not a making-of doc like you’d think, but a musical number sung by various staff members. What a letdown. “D’frosted: Disney’s Journey From Hans Christian Anderson to Frozen” runs 7:39. It’s not really that substantial; it tells us what we already know in some cases (i.e. that Walt Disney had a thing for adapting fairy tales), and a good two minutes is just gushing about the backgrounds. And that’s really it for behind-the-scenes material. Surely there are some more stories to tell about the making of this movie. Why no feature length commentary, at least?


Also included are roughly seven minutes of deleted scenes. In the first, running 1:31, we get a glimpse of Elsa as a villain, before she became a tragic hero. This is what I wish they covered more in the “D’frosted” featurette: conceptual changes. In the next scene, running 2:37, we see Anna trying on different outfits and commenting on them to Elsa. I can see why it was cut. Another nothing scene running 1:17 concerns Anna suffering in the village before deciding to go find her sister. Finally, a 1:20 scene shows an alternate introduction to Kristoff, where he’s mountain climbing. Next to Elsa as a villian, this is the most interesting deleted scene, and I wouldn’t have minded seeing it fully animated.

If you’re into the song “Let it Go,” you’re in luck, because there are multiple music videos of it. The original teaser trailer forFrozen is also included. Finally, the Blu-ray/DVD version of the set includes a digital copy, so you can watch it on iTunes without the disc, or on your favorite mobile device. I myself don’t have a smartphone, but it’s nice to be able to watch the movie without putting the disc in my computer.

Frozen is a good movie with some refreshing defiances of expectations in certain areas. I didn’t love it as much as Tangled, the previous “reimagined fairy tale” Disney movie, but it’s still engaging and represents yet another sign that Disney’s been back on the right track since 2008. Sadly, though, the Blu-ray set is a disappointment, barely offering half an hour of special material. It’s a shame, because Frozen is a movie I would’ve loved to learn more about.

More movies review:

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Sunday, March 16, 2014

Latest new Movies info: The Expendables 3 2014

The Expendables 3 2014


Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill... or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables -- but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables' most personal battle yet.

Actors: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren, Mel gibson, Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kellan Lutz,Terry Crews,Kelsey Grammer,Ronda Rousey,Natalie Burn,Sarai Givaty,Robert Davi,Randy Couture,Victor Ortiz,Glen Powell,Velizar Binev

Writers:Sylvester Stallone