See or ignore? Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans star in ‘The Gray Man’

If you’re looking for a way to escape the blistering heat, try winding down with one of the following movies debuting this month. It’s a mixed bag, with two outstanding documentaries and a trio of underperforming feature films. The good with the bad. But then I get paid to suffer through the unbearable. You might not be so forgiving. I let you decide.

“The Gray Man”

Brothers Anthony and Joe Russo escape the Marvel Universe to make a cheesy Jason Bourne facsimile starring Boston’s Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans as world-traveling assassins fighting for possession of ‘a USB key. Yawn! The film is the first in a series of planned adventures based on Mark Greaney’s novels about Sierra Six (Gosling), an ex-con recruited by the CIA to kill with plausible deniability. But, like Bourne, Six’s lifespan is nearly over, unless his former handler, Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton), can keep the internal jackals off his trail. Fitz’s replacement, Carmichael (“Bridgerton” Rege-Jean Page), is more determined to see Six deep-six, going so far as to hire disgraced ex-CIA hothead Lloyd Hansen (a bored, clownish Evans ) to do the deed. Bond girl Ana De Armas is wasted as Six’s guardian angel Dani Miranda, a scruffy, career-minded CIA agent. The pair travel from Bangkok to Croatia, from Berlin to Prague and continue with Hansen in pursuit. What ensues is too busy, silly, and riddled with glib dialogue written by a trio of writers led by Joe Russo. The trio take particular pleasure in placing Claire (Julia Butters), Fitz’s 12-year-old orphan niece, in constant peril, while mocking the pacemaker that saved the girl’s life. Ironic since “The Gray Man” has no heart. (PG-13 for intense sequences of strong violence and strong language. Airing on Netflix July 22. Grade: C)

‘My old school’

Director Jono McLeod’s bizzaro tale of his former prep school classmate, Brandon Lee, is up there with “Three Identical Strangers” in his plethora of WTF moments. It feeds on its exploration of identity, ignorant school officials, and the lengths people will go to in order to fulfill their dream. To help him tell the story, McLeod rounds up a dozen old pals, sits them down at their classroom desks, and asks them what they remember most about Brandon, the new kid from Bearsden Academy in Scotland. All agree that it seemed extinct. He looked older, knew more than them, and was much more worldly. But he quickly made friends, protected his classmates and, above all, had a car! The focal point is Brandon, who agreed to an interview, but not on camera. McLeod cleverly solves this dilemma by employing Alan Cumming to perfectly mimic Brandon’s words and actions. Cumming, who was once slated to play Brandon in a planned feature film, is gripping, but not as gripping as the tale itself. It’s best you know as little as possible, so I won’t say more, other than to express my admiration for McLeod’s ability to invoke those days 30 years ago using ” Doria” to represent her talking heads in her forties as teenagers. Oh, and the backing music is outstanding, with Lulu singing the film’s title track (by Steely Dan), 1960s-style “To Sir, with Love.” of the school’s deputy principal, whose failure to request Brandon’s birth certificate started the whole crazy scenario. She and the movie go straight to the head of the class. (Unrated; in theaters July 29. Grade: A)

‘Alone together’

Has it really been 17 years since “Thank You for Smoking,” the last merit production involving Katie Holmes? Yes. And this COVID-infected drama written, directed, and starring Holmes will likely continue that crisis. In it, she portrays a snobby restaurant critic seeking to escape the Big Apple after the city was shut down by COVID on March 15, 2020. With the disembodied voice of accused sex offender Andrew Cuomo providing ‘daily updates’ throughout, her June complains about an embarrassing pandemic she plans to ride out (“It’ll be over in 30 days”) at an Airbnb in Hudson, New York. His stable, John (Derek Luke), is supposed to accompany him, but – too bad – chooses to stay with his vulnerable elderly parents. Naturally, her home away from home was double-booked. But what luck! His unexpected roommate is a bearded saint in shabby chic clothes. He’s Charlie and, played by the terse Jim Sturgess, is just the COVID vaccine injection she needs. After some foreplay suggesting a mismatch, they find common ground, bond, and fall in love…as ​​New Yorkers die in record numbers. Did I mention this is a romantic comedy, even though June reveals her parents’ departure in a murder-suicide? Could history repeat itself when John surprises the new lovers? Not unless he intends to kill his rival out of boredom. The highlight might just be Holmes’ daughter, Suri Cruise, singing “Blue Moon” over the opening credits. Not bad. At least she’s not as badly wasted as Melissa Leo, playing Charlie’s goofy mother, and Zosia Mamet as June’s dripping best friend. Avoid this one like the plague. (R for language; opening July 22 in limited theaters and available on demand July 29; Grade: C-)

“Don’t Make Me Go”

We’re a long way from the White Castle in this domestic drivel starring “Harold and Kumar”‘s John Cho as a cancer-stricken father struggling to take one last road trip with his sassy, ​​self-involved teenage daughter, Wally (Mia Isaac) . The twist is that she doesn’t know that Pops is on the endangered species list. So she repeatedly finds ways to jam their journey from Los Angeles to the Big Easy, her mother’s house from which she has long been estranged. The plan is to drop Wally off at Mom’s so Cho’s Max can die knowing Wally has a new home. Wally meets a cute boy, and down the road, an even cuter man, as he navigates the transition from little girl to mature woman. It’s the holidays from hell. Not for them, us! Vera Herbert’s script lacks so much originality that we find ourselves articulating the next line before it leaves the actors’ mouths. Director Hannah Marks hampers ‘the final destination’ for so long you could overlook her shameless ‘big twist’. She implores us to care, but makes it impossible by being so relentlessly predictable. Cho manages to flesh out a character who will never be named father of the year, but Isaac cringes. In Marks’ hands, it’s more about handling than riding. Do not go. (Streaming on Amazon Prime. Rating: C-)

“Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a journey, a song”

Few songs have taken on a life of their own like “Hallelujah.” It has been covered by dozens of artists, from Dylan and John Cale to the man who became its owner, the late Jeff Buckley. Directors Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine trace the song’s history from its origins in the brilliant mind of poet-musician Leonard Cohen to its ubiquity in cultures around the world. But the heart of their work is Cohen, an introspective Jew from Montreal, who has used his art to explore his obsessions with sex and spirituality. He’s written and performed dozens of great songs, but “Hallelujah” is his trademark, best described as “the intersection of the sacred and the exciting.” It took him seven years to write and has since evolved, often changing the lyrics to suit both devotees and lay people. Surprisingly, his label, Columbia, refused to release “Various Positions” in 1984, the album containing the iconic song. The label’s brass were convinced that he would never please the US Boy audience, if they got it wrong. The song is pretty much perfect, but the telling of its story isn’t, mostly because it lacks focus. The directors can’t decide if they want the spotlight to be on Cohen or his signature song. The result is a little frustrating, but the movie as a whole is so entertaining, why not just throw up your arms and shout “Hallelujah”? (Unrated; in theaters July 22. Rating: B+)