Our critics recommend...

The Smurfs 2 (Opens Wednesday) A sequel in which the blue-skinned Belgian diva Smurfette is kidnapped and taken to Paris. The middle installment in a threatened trilogy, the live action/computer- animated mix boasts (if that's the right word) the flesh-and-blood performances of Brendan Gleeson and Neil Patrick Harris. PG

2 Guns Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington, undercover cops working for rival agencies, are forced to team up and trade quips, because that's what you do in a buddy cop movie. R

The Act of Killing Indonesian death squad leaders reenact the real-life massacres they once orchestrated in this controversial documentary, executive-produced by Werner Herzog and Errol Morris. No MPAA rating

Reviewed by critics Steven Rea (S.R.), Tirdad Derakhshani (T.D.), and David Hiltbrand (D.H.), and Dan DeLuca (D.D). W.S. denotes a wire-service review.

Before Midnight Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke return as Celine and Jesse, the young strangers on a heady Viennese walkabout in 1995's Before Sunrise, the man and woman sharing a rueful Paris reunion in 2004's Before Sunset. Now they are partners, with children, on vacation in Greece, and facing the everyday realities of a relationship, of trying to balance careers with filial responsibilities. It's talky (of course), and it's exhilarating. 1 hr. 48 R (profanity, nudity, adult themes) - S.R.

Fruitvale Station Michael B. Jordan gives a deeply nuanced performance as Oscar Grant, the 22-year-old Oakland man shot and killed by a transit cop in the early hours of New Year's Day 2009. Ryan Coogler's film reconstructs - and in some instances, reimagines - the events of the day and night leading up to that tragic episode. 1 hr. 25 R (violence, profanity, drugs, adult themes) - S.R.

Blackfish This excellent documentary looks at the deadly consequences of keeping orcas in captivity for human entertainment. 1 hr. 23 PG-13 (disturbing subject matter, some violence, animals in peril) - T.D.

20 Feet From Stardom A rocking doc about the unsung singers standing just to the right and left of Mick Jagger, Bette Midler, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, and other music superstars. Backup vocalists finally get their due. 1 hr. 30 PG-13 (profanity) - D.D.

The Conjuring *** Husband-and-wife paranormal investigators are thrown for a loop by the most terrifying case they've ever dealt with in this unexpectedly fresh, alive, and vibrant haunted house thriller. 1 hr. 52 R (profanity, violence, demonic horror, filicide) - T.D.

Despicable Me 2 **1/2 The Anti-Villain League recruits Gru when a powerful new criminal emerges in this animated family sequel. 1 hr. 38 PG (mild scares, rude humor, use of flatulence guns) - T.D.

Grown Ups 2 *1/2 Lenny (Adam Sandler) moves his family back to the town where he grew up with his friends, and craziness follows him. Chris Rock, Kevin James, and David Spade also star. 1 hr. 41 PG-13 (crude and suggestive content, profanity and some male rear nudity) - W.S.

Pacific Rim *** Guillermo del Toro's thunderous, thumping monsters-vs.-robots throwdown fuses a modern-day, apocalyptic sense of dread with the crazed spirit of those vintage Japanese sci-fi pics starring Godzilla and Gorgo. It's a nuclear-powered, mixed martial arts match, and pretty soon you lose count of how many rounds they've gone. Big, loud fun. PG-13 (intense action, violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Red 2 **1/2 The explosive adventures of retired spies Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich never get old - just a little formulaic in this sequel. 1 hr. 56 PG-13 (profanity, violence, drugs) - D.H.

Turbo ** A snail in the Indy 500? That's the premise of this formulaic animated feature that definitely isn't hitting on all cylinders. With the voices of Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Peña, Maya Rudolph, and Snoop Dogg. 1 hr. 36 PG (mild action and thematic elements) - D.H.

The Way, Way Back *** Sly, richly modulated, emotionally engaging and brutally honest, Oscar winners Nat Faxon and Jim Rash's brilliantly cast coming-of-age dramedy is about Duncan, a geeky, awkward, alienated 14-year-old boy forced to spend summer vacation with his single mom (Toni Collette) and her new beau, an obnoxious, overbearing car salesman (Steve Carell). Duncan comes out of his shell when he befriends a local water park manager played with manic glee by Sam Rockwell. 1 hr. 43 PG-13 (profanity, adult themes, mild sexuality, smoking) - T.D.

The Wolverine *** Hugh Jackman stars in this dark and stormy - and ragingly fun - X-Men thriller, in which Logan, the brooding mutant with the retractable adamantium claws, finds himself in the thick of whooshing ninjas, tattooed yakuza, and all the anime cool of 21st-century Japan. 2 hrs. 06 PG-13 (violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Reviewed by Wendy Rosenfield (W.R.) and Jim Rutter (J.R.).

The Two Noble Kinsmen (Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre) Philly Shakes stretches a point with this Shakespeare-Fletcher collaboration about two men who fall out over love. Previews Wednesday and Thursday, opens Friday.

The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Abridged (Commonwealth Classic Theatre) All the Bard that fits in a 100-minute evening. Free at parks and venues across the region. Ends Sunday. Info at commonwealthclassictheatre.org.

Henry VIII (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival) The story of much-married Henry, done as in Shakespeare's time, with no director and a scramble for props and costumes. Through Aug. 4.

Measure for Measure (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival) While the duke's away, evil Angelo will play. Through next Sunday.

Noises Off (People's Light and Theatre) A sensationally funny staging of Michael Frayn's Tony-winning farce about a British theater troupe embarking on a tour, with director Pete Pryor's sharp timing, Samantha Bellomo's inventive choreography, and standout performances from a cast led by Marcia Saunders and Christopher Kelly. Through Aug. 10. - J.R.

Run for Your Wife (Hedgerow Theatre) In this iteration of the annual summer Ray Cooney farce, Joel Guerrero's chubby marriage maestro John Smith and Andrew Parcell as co-conspirator and neighbor Stanley Gardener work their way through this script's pitfalls with plenty of physical humor and finesse. - W.R.

Summer of '42 (Bucks County Playhouse) A musical version of the much-loved film about a youth's first love during World War II. Through Aug. 11.

The Tempest (Shakespeare in Clark Park) Catherine Slusar is Prospero in this free outdoor production. Ends Sunday

Two Gentlemen of Verona (Delaware Shakespeare Festival) Director Samantha Bellomo and her sprightly cast put on a Jazz Age production that excites in its excess of untempered passion balanced by the laughter of youthful love's folly. It's worth the trek. Ends Sunday. - J.R.

Wicked (Academy of Music) This production of Wicked, last here three years ago, is full of great Stephen Schwartz tunes sung with full-throated passion by a fine cast. There is super spectacle, and the lighting and interesting costumes contribute to the overall pleasure. Through next Sunday. - T.Z.

This Sunday's 2 p.m. Philadelphia Orchestra broadcast on WRTI (90.1 FM) features guest conductor Andrey Boreyko, music director of the Düsseldorf Symphony, and percussionist Colin Currie in a rebroadcast of a March concert from Verizon Hall. On the program are Wagner's majestic "Entry of the Gods Into Valhalla" from Das Rheingold, Christopher Rouse's ingenious concerto Der Gerettete Alberich (Alberich Saved) for percussionist and orchestra, and Tchaikovsky's rousing Symphony No. 5.EndText