5 Hollywood films that are already creating Oscar buzz

Los Angeles - The Oscar race has started and the frontrunners are already making headlines.

Who will walk away with the golden statuette that could change their careers and lives forever?

We take a closer look at the 5 top films making waves so far: 

1) Foxcatcher

Based on the true story of Mark Schultz, an Olympic wrestler whose relationship with sponsor John du Pont and brother Dave Schultz would lead to unlikely circumstances.

2) Big Eyes

A drama centered on the awakening of the painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s.

3) Nightcrawler

A young man stumbles upon the underground world of L.A. freelance crime journalism.

4) The Wild

A chronicle of one woman's 1100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent catastrophe.

5) Birdman

A washed-up actor who once played an iconic superhero must overcome his ego and family trouble as he mounts a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim his past glory.