The Oscar race is heating up, with many films having already premiered and opened theatrically.

"Fury" opened to rave reviews for Brad Pitt and the cast, but received mixed reviews for the overall product. "Birdman" received universal acclaim and is considered to be the front-runner. However, there are still a number of films that have yet to screen for critics and hope to obtain Oscar consideration.

The biggest and most buzzed about film is without a doubt "A Most Violent Year." The film was announced to premiere at the AFI Film Festival and is expected for release on Dec. 31. The film has been buzzed about ever since the year began for its cast, which includes Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. Additionally, director J.C. Chandor has become one of the most acclaimed and respected directors in the industry. There are still a number of weeks until the release, and it is likely the film will start garnering more buzz. The problem with such a late release is that distributor A24 does not really have experience with Oscar campaigns. Unless, it is a huge hit at AFI, this could be a futile late release.

Paramount has three releases that are waiting to be screened for critics. Without a doubt, the biggest of the three is "Interstellar" by Christopher Nolan which opens on Nov. 7. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain and has obtained buzz ever since the first trailers were released. Nolan's science fiction picture will undoubtedly get technical nominations, but people are still wondering if it will actually be the Best Picture contender most have predicted it to be.

The company also has "The Gambler" by Ryan Wyatt and "Selma" by Ava DuVernay. Both these films have yet to release trailers and open in December. This is a bad sign, given how many of the early awards contenders have generated buzz and have released trailers. While the buzz is definitely there, a late entry may hurt the campaign, especially when most awards voters are trying to catch up with the many films they have to see.

Sometimes, the thought behind it is the later the release the more fresh it remains. However, voters go based on the buzz the film acquires throughout the season. An October and November release has of later been the best month to release an Oscar winner as seen with "12 Years a Slave," "Argo," "The Artist" and "The King's Speech." "The Gambler" premieres at the AFI fest, which does not guarantee Oscars especially after "The Lone Survivor" and "Saving Mr. Banks" failed to garner the Best Picture nominations. "Selma" will not even make a festival premiere.

Warner Bros. also has "American Sniper" with Bradley Cooper, directed by Clint Eastwood. Eastwood has been a hit-or-miss the past few years, especially with his films "J. Edgar," "Changeling" and "Gran Torino." These three films entered the market in their respective years with Oscar expectations, but came out with no Best Picture nominations. Instead, all three obtained mixed reviews.

Warner Bros. snuck in the release of the film a month ago after most likely seeing it had no possible Oscar contender. "Inherent Vice" premiered to mixed reviews at the New York Film Festival, and most pundits stated that it was far from an Academy-friendly film. By releasing "American Sniper" late in the year, the company is trying to do the same thing it did in 2004 when "Million Dollar Baby" entered the Oscar race out of nowhere and won. It is hard to tell where Eastwood's film will stand in terms of his latest products, which have been dividing audiences and critics because of the lackluster stories and the rushed production. "American Sniper" arrives on Christmas and will not receive a festival run.

Universal will also make a late entry with "Unbroken." Angelina Jolie's film has the making of an Oscar contender with a star cast, a script by Joel and Ethan Coen and a team that has a combination of multiple Oscar nominations. The question is whether it will be another "In the Land of Blood and Honey" or if it will be an epic that evokes those of the past, which won Oscars. This is hard to know based on the beautiful trailers that have been released. Still, this one has a lot of promise.

Then there is the Weinstein Company, who does not seem to have a strong contender yet again. The company does have "The Imitation Game," which keeps winning festivals, but critics are not completely sold on it. Tim Burton's "Big Eyes" was expected to be a big festival film, but ended up skipping it. Burton, like Eastwood, has been a hit or a miss in the past years, which has made many skeptical. Based on the trailers, this film looks like it is similar to his earlier work, which includes "Ed Wood" and stayed away from the big special effects. However, the trailer does not look as impressive as the film sounded on paper. Those who have seen early cuts said it is all about Amy Adams and that the film does not hold up. However, with a few months left until its release, there is still time for changes.

Finally, the last release is "Into the Woods." It is going to start sounding like a broken record, but Rob Marshall has been a hit-or-miss with his last three films. "Nine" and "Memoirs of a Geisha" obtained a combined 10 nominations but did not get a Best Picture nod. "Into the Woods," like "Big Eyes," sounds like a Best Picture in the making. However, Disney seems to be promoting it more like a family friendly film and has apparently cut some of the more violent parts out of the musical. It will be interesting if the final product will actually live up to the hype.

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