The Hechtman Blog
Explore Max Hechtman's blog for insights on filmmaking, film lists, reviews, and industry updates from a professional filmmaker, editor, and videographer.
An Epic The Defies The Gods: My Film Review of “The Odyssey”
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is a festival of scale and intimacy — a crowd-pleasing blockbuster that also feels unmistakably Nolan: rigorous in structure, audacious in spectacle, and quietly human at its center. If any film is going to be remembered as the movie that owned summer 2026, this is it.
Spielberg’s Latest Wonder: My Film Review of “Disclosure Day”
Well, I finally saw it. And it definitely was not what I, or many of us, were expecting this latest from the GOAT of filmmaking himself to be. Disclosure Day, Steven Spielberg’s new original science fiction thriller, takes some of the themes and concepts previously explored in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and brings them into the 21st century for a story about the relentless pursuit of the truth, while also making an earnest plea for the necessity of empathy.
My Top 5 2020s Movies That Should Become Broadway Musicals
This decade has been filled with movies that pushed the boundaries of their genres, and several of those films feel ripe to have their emotions amplified and their stories transformed into vivid musical theater experiences on the Broadway stage in the near future. Here’s a list of my top five films from the 2020s that I can imagine making the leap to Broadway, along with dream creative teams and casts who could bring their worlds and songs to life.
My Ballot For The New York Times Readers' 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century
Last summer, The New York Times asked readers to create their own ballots for their “Readers’ Choice” edition of their list of the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century. For my ballot, I selected 10 random films that I had seen from this century (a few of which influenced my filmmaking) and submitted them for consideration. Here are why I believe these 10 films are among the best of the century.
My Most Anticipated Films of 2026
With 2025 about to be a year behind us, here’s a look at my most anticipated films of 2026, ranking from what I’m really most excited about to ones where I’m simply just going to go in with an open mind and see what happens.
Max Hechtman's Top 10 Films of 2025
With the year coming to an end, now is the time to unveil my top 10 films of 2025. This year, two films from the same studio (Warner Bros.) have made it into my top 2, and even, for the first time on any of my public lists, two animated films have also made it in. Each film had something for everyone and I'm sure you're enjoyed them as much as I did. What were your favorites from 2025?
Max Hechtman's Top 10 Films of 2024
As the year begins to come to an end, here’s my list of the top 10 films of 2024. From blockbusters to long-awaited follow-ups, emotionally-moving independent cinema to intimate documentaries, this was for sure another memorable year for cinema. What were your favorites from this year?
Max Hechtman's Top 10 Films of 2023
Happy New Year everyone! And as my last post of the year, here's my list of the top 10 films of 2023. What were some of your favorites from this year? See you in 2024.
Max Hechtman's Top 10 Movies of 2022
Happy New Year everyone! Can't wait to see what 2023 has in store for all of us. And as my last post of 2022, here's my list of my top 10 movies of the Year. What were your favorites?

