OPENING NOV. 1:

FRIDA: Salma Hayek gives a standout performance as the troubled Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, and buzz is warm for Alfred Molina’s portrayal of Diego Rivera, too.

I SPY: It looks like Owen Wilson is making a career of being second banana. But hey, second bananas make money, too. This time, he pairs up with Eddie Murphy in a big-screen version the 1960s TV show.

SANTA CLAUSE II: Who’d have thought this would spawn a sequel? Tim Allen, with a chubby tummy, returns.

THE WEIGHT OF WATER: This drama about a modern-day investigation of an 1873 ax murder has a great cast: Catherine McCormack, Sarah Polley, Sean Penn and Josh Lucas. Kathryn Bigelow directs.

MR. SMITH GETS A HUSTLER: Ahem. The title says it all. Apparently, Mr. Smith is a banker, and the hustler has a knack for making money, too.