Violence Against Children
I don't think that it's possible or even reasonable to avoid the issue and minimize the media spotlight on a very real and huge problem of violence against children. Today, in our real world, hundreds of thousands of children are dying, brutally tortured, made to do slave labor and forced into prostitution all over the world, including the United States (though illegally). A.I. only presented a future, fictional possiblility that did not reflect reality and was not targeted towards children in the audience. It represented the possible degradation of the human race, its subsequent fall from grace and the actual rise of artificial intelligence to a level beyond mankind - beyond the cruelty. As with gladiators of old, of today's extreme sports that young people participate in today, it is only through maintaining a stream of hard-edged images, that partly reflect reality, and A.I. I feel portraying this potential future can a message without condoning it (even if the humanity around it does) can the clear message get out about discrimination and prejudice, the evil that mankind might create and devolve into.
Ebert & Roeper didn't include "The Pianist!"
I'm quite honestly SHOCKED that Ebert & Roeper didn't put "The Pianist" on their list. I liked "The Pianist" more than most of the films on their lists. I don't understand why Ebert would think "13 Conversations About One Thing" or "Adaptation" are greater films than "The Pianist" or why Roeper would believe "About a Boy," "One Hour Photo" would get a higher rating. Not that I disliked any of those films but for me they just don't stick in with me emotionally.
In case you all were wondering, "The Pianist" was my pic of the best film of 2002.
But thank goodness Ebert gave high recognition to "Spirited Away."
If Gene Siskel were alive...
...I'd think he would definitely include "The Pianist" on his list.