On Thursday, the AFI Film Festival ended with many disappointing films, leaving the Oscar race a mystery.

Last year, the AFI Festival generated Oscar buzz and hype for movies like "Selma," "American Sniper" and "A Most Violent Year." Two of those films -- "Selma" and "American Sniper" -- went on to obtain Best Picture nominations, while "A Most Violent Year" was snubbed.

However, this year the festival offered three world premieres, but none of the films created much buzz. "By the Sea" by Angelina Jolie opened the festival and got bashed by critics for overindulgence. The film later opened this past weekend to terrible numbers, proving that even two of the most famous people in the world -- Jolie and husband Brad Pitt -- can't generate ticket sales if the film itself is no good.

Then Will Smith's "Concussion" opened to mixed reception. Smith got a boost by the critics for Best Actor, but the film was ultimately disappointing.

Finally, the closing night film "The Big Short" opened to good reviews, but the reaction was not what most expected. The movie was reportedly dim and lacked much excitement, given the cast includes Christian Bale, Pitt, Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell. It will be interesting to see if this film builds any momentum, but its closing night slot should have been the clincher if it were to be a serious contender on Oscar night.

On the other hand, many of the year's other festival hits and Oscar contenders received important boosts. "Carol" continued to be a festival darling, while the "45 Years" cast received honors and continued to get buzz for Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay.

AFI is the final festival of the season, often looked at as a huge showcase for Oscar contenders. To date, there is no real front-runner for Best Picture in the way that both "Boyhood" and "Birdman" were last year. There is no heavy hitter like "Brokeback Mountain" or "12 Years a Slave" in their respective years.

There are a number of solid contenders, but the race seems to be lacking in a runaway contender.

Perhaps David O. Russell's "Joy," Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight," Ron Howard's "In the Heart of the Sea," or Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "The Revenant" can offer a clear winner come December.

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