AFI'd out after Silverdocs? Let Cillian Murphy resuscitate your interest. His work in the British zombie film 28 Days Later, which kicked off the Unholy Zombie Cinema Revival, is cutting edge even by George Romero's indeterminable standards. City Lights contributor Matt Siblo digs a little deeper in his pick for tonight, arguing that the movie's zombies "managed to provide a chilling and timely rumination on a post-9/11 society—while scaring the living crap out of you."

Do yourself a favor--read the entire 28 Days Later pick and watch some film clips. Then go see the movie.

So the fact that this Sunday's 81st Annual Academy Awards has crept up with little to no hype is hardly surprising, nor is the fact that the Academy singled out David Fincher's (of Fight Club fame) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as the Academy Awards' Viva la Vida, bestowing upon the bloated F. Scott Fitzgerald adaptation a mind boggling 13 nominations.

From the moment the film hit theaters, Benjamin Button was destined to be an Oscar fron trunner: Sanitized film version of a respectable author's work? Check. One hot half of a Hollywood "It" couple in the title role? Check. Overwrought treatment of a "Big Idea" gripping the youth-obsessed national psyche? Check.

Screenwriters Eric Roth (who won an Oscar for his successful adaptation of Forrest Gump in 1995) and Robin Swicord (responsible for the 1994 adaptation of Little Women) wrote the womanizing and boozing damn near out of Fitzgerald's Benjamin Button, significantly sweetening the novella's sour split between Benjamin and Daisy (the real reason Benny leaves Daisy is because he can't stand her wrinkles and saggy body, not the fear of "Oh my, what will the neighbors think?"). The fruit of their labor is as standard and pedestrian as a McIntosh apple, making Fitzgerald's complex character sympathetic, flat and easier to swallow. Which is good news for Brad Pitt, who, in his middle-age, has the range of a department store mannequin. Best Actor? Pfft.

Aside from being a watered-down version of a stiff cocktail delivered by a lazy bartender, the film as a whole just isn't as strong as the other nominees. Of course, Benjamin Button deserves to win Best Makeup and Best Visual Effects--in the five-minute sequence wherein Button travels the world, the rugged, lank-haired and tanned Pitt looks better then ever--but Best Picture? Button is up against some serious heavyweights in that department. Director Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire has been cleaning up at festivals and various awards shows, while Ron Howard's Frost/Nixon, Gus Van Sant's Milk and Stephen Daldry's The Reader have the "Big Idea" schtick pegged, with a political edge to boot.

AP (via the New York Times) posited the question "'Benjamin Button': Biggest Oscar Loser in the Making?" Here's hoping so.

The Mumbai-set film is up for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but has been criticized for exploiting the area's poverty. Boyle and producer Christian Colson had this to say:

From the moment that we hired them and long before the press became interested in this story, we have paid painstaking and considered attention to how Azhar and Rubina's involvement in the film could be of lasting benefit to them over and above the payment they received for their work.

The children had never attended school, and in consultation with their parents we agreed that this would be our priority. Since June 2008 and at our expense, both kids have been attending school and they are flourishing under the tutelage of their dedicated and committed teachers. Financial resources have been made available for their education until they are 18. We were delighted to see them progressing well when we visited their school and met with their teachers last week.

In addition to their educational requirements, a fund is in place to meet their basic living costs, health care and any other emergencies. Furthermore, as an incentive for them to continue to attend school a substantial lump sum will be released to each child when they complete their studies. Taking into account all of the children's circumstances we believe that this is the right course of action.

Since putting in place these arrangements more than 12 months ago we have never sought to publicize them, and we are doing so now only in response to the questions raised recently in the press. We trust that the matter can now be put to bed, and we would request that the media respect the children's privacy at this formative time in their lives.

- - Danny Boyle and Christian Colson

The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association today announced its pick of Fox Searchlight's Slumdog Millionaire as Best Film of 2008, additionally awarding it Best Director (Danny Boyle), Best Breakthrough Performance (Dev Patel), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy).

Other notable nods include a posthumous Best Supporting Actor win for Heath Ledger, whose creepy, mesmerizing Joker in The Dark Knight more than compensated for Two-Face's limp storyline and Batman's phlegmy growl, and Best Actor going to Mickey Rourke as The Wrestler's charming titular fuck-up.

The rest:

Best Actress: Meryl Streep (Doubt)
Best Supporting Actress: Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married)
Best Original Screenplay: Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married)
Best Animated: WALL-E
Best Documentary: Man on Wire
Best Foreign Film: Let the Right One In
Best Ensemble: Doubt
Best Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

But according to indieWIRE, Slumdog Millionaire's per-screen box office over its opening weekend is comparable to the summer's -- and possibly the decade's -- biggest blockbuster, earning $35,043 per house versus Dark Knight's $36,283 July average.

Not bad for a film without its own action figures. Wonder if execs are already sketching Slumdog Idol?