(CNN) If the "snubs" and oversights feel a little more acute and arbitrary with the latest round of Oscar nominations, blame that in part on a year that produced an abundance of good movies, and few genuinely great ones.

There were, in fact, a number of mixed signals to be found in the nominations unveiled on Monday morning, which, taken together, paint a portrait of a movie industry in transition. The Oscars have met the streaming age -- and the flood of options coming from it -- but still appear to be figuring out how to absorb all that content, and where it fits.

Adding to the logjam, a number of performers delivered standout performances in movies that, overall, weren't equal to them. While Renee Zellweger and Cynthia Erivo overcame that in "Judy" and "Harriet," respectively, Jennifer Lopez ("Hustlers"), Taron Egerton ("Rocketman") and Adam Sandler ("Uncut Gems") didn't.

Even among the nine movies nominated for best picture -- equaling the most titles since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expanded from five to as many as 10 -- there is a certain been-there quality to go along with a few breakthroughs.

Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro in 'The Irisman'

Both "The Irishman" and "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood" are fine movies. For many, however, each paled next to signature works by the directors responsible for them -- "Irishman," another mob drama, falling short of Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas," while "Once Upon a Time" is arguably the fourth or fifth best movie from Quentin Tarantino.

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