The hardest movies to copy are the ones by Sony Pictures, Columbia and some Paramount. the rest of the movie studios either use crappy protection or just dont care enough about that certain movie.
AnyDVD is one of the best programs to get rid of copy protection. DVD43 is pretty good too.
1ClickDVD Copy is great for copying dvd's it will shrink any movie to fit on a single layer disc. because it uses compression it may be possible to compress even the menu's but i havent tried yet.
DVD Decrypter and DVDFAB Decrypter are excellent to rip the movie onto your HD first before burning it will result in better burns and less coasters.
only use High Quality Blank DVD-R or DVD+R. Taiyo Yuden are the best discs you can use. Optodisc Arco-Circle Super Grade are cheaper and just as good