Great Movies: Essays On Film

A collection of our essays about movies that mean something to us.

By: Erin & Mandy

Posted: November 20, 2023

Last Updated: December 09, 2023


Mandy and I have made it no secret how much Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel mean to us. For Mandy, they were a window into the world of film from a young age, a gateway into a beloved artform. For me, their writing provided lessons in the nuts and bolts of art appreciation. We are better writers because of them, more thoughtful film-watchers because of them, and we are closer and more emotionally-open because of them.

Before his passing in 2013, Roger Ebert had a special essay series on his website, one reserved for “Great Movies”. Separate from his reviews, these were essays and musings on films that in his eyes exemplified the craft of film. This page is not that. I do not claim that the movies on this page are “great movies” in terms of their craft, but rather “Great Movies” in how they make us feel, in how they inspire us to put pen-to-paper and speak not just about film, but about ourselves.

In a way, naming it after Ebert’s essay series is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to one of our inspirations. I want to use this page to archive some of my favorite, most personal or most insightful pieces of writing about movies that either of us have done. They will often be edited versions of writings from our Letterboxd pages, links to which can be found on the links page, though original pieces may pop up from time-to-time.