Posted this morning: “I need to create a list of noteworthy narrative films that were regarded as unmistakably ‘important’ in their day.

“Films whose advocates and defenders said to naysayers ‘no, no…you need to sink into this film and try to understand…the subject is really important…seeing and understanding this movie will be good for our souls…the fact that it’s simply been made has improved our standing in the eyes of God.. we are better people for it.'”

Off the top of my head: Killers of the Flower Moon (anti-Native American racism), The Public Enemy (prohibition-era gangsters), I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (flawed justice system), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (governmental corruption), The Best Years of Our Lives (returning WWII veterans), Gentleman’s Agreement (anti-Semitism), Crossfire (anti-Semitism), Home of the Brave (racism), The Lost Weekend (alcoholism), Inherit The Wind (religious yokels), To Kill A Mockingbird (deep-yokel racism), Seven Days in May (rampant militarism, Curtis LeMay), Brokeback Mountain (homophobia)…what others?

Yesterday morning smarty-pants emcee and gabbermouth Bill McCuddy (NPR’s “Talking Pictures” plus “Sitting Around Talking Movies”) predicted that Tuesday morning’s Academy nominations “are going to lean into Maestro more than you think.”

Everyone knew Carey Mulligan would be nominated for Best Actress, of course, but above and beyond that…who knew?

This morning Bradley Cooper’s impressionistic Leonard Bernstein biopic tallied seven Academy Award nominations — Best Picture, Best Actor (Cooper), Best Actress, Best Screenplay (Cooper and Josh Singer), Best Makeup (Kazu Hiro), Best Sound and Best Cinematography. Seven!

Congrats to Cooper and colleagues, and congrats to McCuddy.

…partly in order to nominate Anatomy of a Fall ‘s Justine Triet? This really doesn’t feel right, man. C’mon! And when you boil down Jonathan Glazer’s direction of The Zone of Interest, it’s basically a one-trick thing — chillingly imply rather than show. A bit surprising that Barbie’s Greta Gerwig got the shaft but them’s the breaks.

Deserved nominations but not universally foreseen.

…for standing by American Fiction through thick and thin. The enthusiasm for the respectable but not great Anatomy of a Fall has eluded me for months. I had resigned myself to a Past Lives nomination…fine. And Maestro got nominated along with Bradley Cooper!

Another surprise nomination…no real enthusiasm for his Rustin performance…pretty much ignored by handicappers…doesn’t add up but fine. Congrats to all.

Whom no one expected to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor. A very pronounced, amusing, take-it-or-leave-it performance. Charles Melton dismissed. Sorry about Dominic Sessa but I never expected that to happen.

Director Norman Jewison lived a long, rich and productive life…97 years worth. But I have to be honest and say that that only three of his films really hit the spot for me — The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (’66), In the Heat of the Night (’67) and Moonstruck (’87).

It’s not easy to make even a mediocre film, and it’s quite the achievement to hit one out of the park. Jewison did this three times — stiff salute, full respect, good fellow.

Otherwise I could never even watch Fiddler on the Roof (’71). I was bored by The Cincinnati Kid (’65). I liked the split-screen gimmick and the sexually suggestive chess game in The Thomas Crown Affair (’68) but otherwise meh.

Jesus Christ Superstar (’73) was okay for a single viewing. I’ve never re-watched Rollerball (’75), F.I.S.T. (’78), …And Justice for All (’79), Best Friends (’82), A Soldier’s Story (’84), and Agnes of God (’85).

Jewison’s ’90s films (Other People’s Money, Only You, The Hurricane, The Statement) never did anything to me or for me. I’m sorry but they didn’t.