Let me explain: the menu screen for Never Been Kissed appears momentarily when the disc is loaded, then reverts to the standard Fight Club menu. It’s actually a brilliantly hilarious gag perpetrated by director David Fincher for the release. Not only are the two movies polar opposites of one another, but Never Been Kissed outgrossed Fight Club when both movies were released in 1999. To her credit, Drew has a good sense of humour about the whole thing. As a producer on the film, she gave the go-ahead for the prank. [AV Club via Yahoo Movies]

We believe there are only two significant brands in the film industry—”Disney” and “Steven Spielberg”. We would like to establish “Pixar” as the third. Successful brands are a reflection of consumer trust, which is earned over time by consumers’ positive experiences with the brand’s products. For example, parents trust Disney-branded animated films to provide satisfying and appropriate family entertainment, based on Disney’s undisputed track record of making wonderful animated films. This trust benefits both parents and Disney: it makes the selection of family entertainment that much easier for parents, and it allows Disney to more easily and assuredly draw audiences to see their new films. Over time we want Pixar to grow into a brand that embodies the same level of trust as the Disney brand.

This letter was available on the Pixar website until 2006, when Disney, utterly trounced by Pixar in the world of animated features, bought the company. [The Pixar Touch via David Cho]

Flip Mino HD: We tested basically every pocket camcorder in existence, and this was one of the best. It shoots 720p HD and is easy enough for your grandma to use. If you’re buying a gift for someone looking to experiment on a budget or simply shoot vacation videos, this is a great little cam. $AU298 [Flip]

Clapboard: No, I’m serious. Though this might just look like a cheesy prom prop (and that’s what it is), little has changed about the most recognised icon of the film industry. And for filmmakers, it’s still extremely handy in tracking good takes, and syncing sound, if needed. The novelty ones are cheap (and many are probably more for show); but splurge on a fancy dry erase version if you really love the recipient. $US2 to $US30 [Prom Wishes ; B&H]

Vintage Hollywood Photographs from Life Magazine: Vintage posters are neat, but I’d contend that these Life prints feel a tad more heart-felt. From Kubrick working on 2001 to Marilyn Monroe doing her thing, there are many gems to be found in Life’s archives. About $US100 [2001 Series; More Life Photos]

Iron Man Arc Reactor: Most people’s latent super powers are still off in hiding, but you never know when a nemesis will rip out your power core, forcing you to crawl across your home for a spare. Don’t look at the Iron Man Arc Reactor as a superfluous purchase; see it as an investment your loved one’s health. $US150 [Museum Replicas]

Sony UWP-V1 Wireless Lavalier Mic: During my tenure in broadcast and commercial production, I found a good, wireless lavalier mic to be the most versatile tool in my bag. It can be hidden anywhere on a body/prop, and the pickup frequencies are surprisingly decent for foleying. Sony’s entry level mic, the UWP-V1, should serve any young filmmaker well. $US485 [B&H]

Kodak Five-Day Cinematography Workshop: Few of us will ever have the chance to shoot on real 35mm film. But Kodak’s boot camp will teach you the basics of 35mm cinematography and give you a chance to burn some 35mm stock while experts hold your hand. The tuition is by no means a non-factor, but come on, it’s pretty much the coolest fantasy camp without Michael Jordan or spaceships. The workshop is only offered in LA… $US2000 [Kodak]

DON’T BUY Back to the Future 2 Hat: I know, it’s neat you can buy this hat. But it looked dumb on Marty McFly and it will look even worse on whoever you give it to. [Amazon]

4K Red One Camera: Yes, the body itself starts at nor far under $US20,000 — without lenses, mounts, CF modules or pretty much anything you’ll need to use it. Yes, this camera is just as hard to shoot with as any full-fledged film camera (if not even harder). But it’s also the cheapest 4K camera you can acquire, and for the price of one extended 35mm camera rental, you’ll have a system that’s “free to use” again and again. Just make sure to gift those cinematography classes first. From $US17,500 [Red]

Don’t forget to recommend your own favourite gift ideas for movie buffs in the comments.

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favourite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We’ll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.

Not only the image is crystal clear, but it has been confirmed to me by one of the movie’s sequence supervisors at ILM — the same guy who said this was just the shuttle.

For a “behind the scenes”, this clip doesn’t reveal much in terms of the technical wizardry behind Avatar. But it does offer a handful of CGI I don’t think any trailer has revealed yet.

[Wired]

Boy, have zombies made a comeback lately, right along with teenage vampires. Regardless, indie zombie flick Dead Season is the self-proclaimed first film shooting on the $US1700 Canon 7D. (Warning, gore ahead.)

The camera quality is sort of a mixed bag for the bloody independent film. High-resolution coupled with gorgeous depth-of-field tricks emulate Hollywood (or at least, TV-level) production. But, while you can call me old-fashioned, blood and guts only look better in low-fi. Best of luck to the group finishing the film. These dailies from week one have some nice moments. [Thanks Super Greene!]

So say you’re at the airport. You want to rent, I dunno, some movie that wasn’t good enough to see in the cinemas. You just format a spare SD card filled with holiday photos you’d forgotten to back up (it doesn’t appear they give you a card, but I could be mistaken), pop it in the machine, select a movie, pay $US4 or so and then have the film loaded on your card, a la ticking time bomb, with DRM.

And what can’t you do with an SD card? I mean, it plays in my iPhone…wait…I mean my Blackberry…wait…

MiniSD and MicroSD — those are the cards that most of our mobile devices will take (if they take any at all)! In case no-one told you, Blockbuster, we can’t play this shit back on our digital cameras.

(Granted, netbook owners and some laptop owners will be able to utilise the standard.)

Ah Blockbuster, you’ve arrived just in time to ignore the growing popularity of iTunes/Zune Marketplace syncing, 3G streaming and in-flight Wi-Fi all while offering your service on a medium less convenient than DVD. But don’t worry, I’m not angry. You’re just hurting yourself. [Fast Company]

In order to be profitable, it needs to generate ticket sales of over $US250 million — only Star Trek level. It’s not a huge deal, you know. It’s just the fate of 3D movies hanging in the balance. [NYT via io9]