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 Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week.

Embattled (VOD)
Starring: Stephen Dorff, Darren Mann, and Elizabeth Reaser
Synopsis: This new movie that debuts this week features Dorff in an incredible, but sometimes incredibly hard to watch performance as an ultimate fighter on top of his game in the ring but struggling as a husband and father. He's married and living in a mansion with his young son while his ex-wife and two oldest sons, one who is developmentally disabled, struggle to get by. His way of helping is to pour his knowledge of the sport into his oldest son, Jett (Mann), trying to mold him into a vicious fighter in the ring. When a dispute between father-and-son makes national news, they get a huge offer than presents a no-win scenario. Dorff is great in this movie, and I thought it was pretty compelling overall, though it's a bit of a tough story that's sad at times. It features some savage action in the ring, too, but overall I thought it was worth seeing just for Dorff's lead performance.
Rating: R for pervasive strong language and crude sexual references, violence and some nudity.
Verdict: Three stars out of four.

The Life Ahead (Netflix)
Starring: Sophia Loren and Ibrahima Gueye
Synopsis: This Italian film focuses on an older Jewish woman (Loren) who takes in orphans, including a young muslim refugee (Gueye). This one is high profile because of Loren, who gives a nice performance. But overall the film felt a little dry and didn't quite work for me. The story wants to be compelling and heart-warming, but I struggled to get pulled into the narrative. It's a nice addition and swing, but it isn't as compelling as I'd hoped.
Rating: PG-13 for thematic content, drug material involving minors, some sexual material and language.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Midnight at the Magnolia (Netflix)
Starring: Evan Williams and Natalie Hall
Synopsis: This is part of the set of holiday films rolled out by Netflix. This one doesn't take place on Christmas, but rather is set on New Year's Eve and the run up to New Year's Eve. It follows a pair of lifelong friends (Williams and Hall) who are popular morning show hosts that provide relationship advice. Both are planning to introduce their significant others to their families as part of a big on air stunt, but they both find themselves suddenly single. In order to get a big opportunity, they decide to pose as a couple for publicity when actual sparks start to fly. This one goes in a predictable direction, but I liked the leads and thought their chemistry was good. The story is light and it moves at a good pace. It feels a little Hallmark-esque, but it works. 
Rating: TV-G
Verdict: Three stars out of four.

A New York Christmas Wedding (Netflix)
Starring: Nia Fairweather, Adriana DeMeo, and Chris Noth
Synopsis: This is another of Netflix's holiday films, this one set at Christmas and following the familiar troupes of a guardian angel offering an unhappy person a glimpse of an alternate future on Christmas. In this case it's a woman (Fairweather) who is set to be married, but has some misgivings. She's shown an alternate future where she made different choices and ends up with her childhood best friends (DeMeo), and a dream Christmas wedding performed in a daring act by her local Priest (Noth). But can she make this alternative dream scenario a reality? This one touches on some big themes and is obviously designed to serve an under-represented audience. That's laudable. However, I thought the writing and performances were stilted here, and the film didn't work. I thought it was dry and uneven, making it a big swing that missed.
Rating: TV-MA
Verdict: One star out of four.

Star Wars Holiday Special (Disney+)
Synopsis: This Lego holiday movie is set in the world of "Star Wars" and features the famous characters and moments from all nine of the films. This is a big, fun, lavish holiday celebration that runs about 47 minutes and captures all the things we love about "Star Wars." The story here is fun, the jokes are light and work well and it was awesome to see the Lego version of these classic "Star Wars" scenes. I loved this special and can imagine it being the kind of thing I watch year-after-year.
Rating: TV-G
Verdict: Four stars out of four.