I eat breakfast 300 yards from 4000 Cubans who are trained to kill me, so don't think for one second that you can come down here, flash a badge, and make me nervous

A couple of John Wayne's early offerings, one of my faves, a classic feel-good sports flick, and a big blast from the 90s. 

Three Faces West (1940) - "Viennese surgeon Dr. Braun and his daughter Leni come to a small town in North Dakota as refugees from Hitler. When the winds of the Dust Bowl threaten the town, John Phillips leads the townsfolk.... He falls for Leni, but she is betrothed to the man who helped her and her father escape from the Third Reich. She must make a decision between the two men."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: it has a strange premise for a Western
IMDB: 6.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 33%

notable quote: "I know, it is not easy to know where loyalty ends and love begins."
story: long, convoluted, moralistic, filled with propaganda (not only political), and overly simplified 
visuals: moody and lush
costumes, hair & makeup: well done
acting: John Wayne (John Phillips) gamely tries to make the most of it, but his fellow players are not much help

intangibles: with so many good ones in Wayne's oeuvre, this is missable
overall: not recommended

A Few Good Men (1992) - "Military lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee defends Marines accused of murder. They contend they were acting under orders."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents 
I watched it because: it's become a classic

AFI: 10 Top 10 (2008) Courtroom Drama #5

IMDB: 7.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 83% Audience: 89%

notable quote: "To respect the code."
story: über-cocky lawyer Dan Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is chosen to defend two Marines charged with murder. In a peculiar twist of professional ethics, he is joined in his defense by Internal Affairs attorney Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) and Lt. Sam Weinberg (Kevin Pollack), playing the straight man. "Also in play" are Col. Nathan R. Jessup (Jack Nicholson), Capt. Jack Ross (Kevin Bacon), and 1st Lt. Jonathan James Kendrick (my old favorite Kiefer Sutherland).
visuals: dramatically lit and shot, with great contrasts
acting: I'd forgotten that Moore was in this. Man, can she stink up a movie. Yet Nicholson is so good here. 

intangibles: fun to watch, including arguing with the dumb law mistakes
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture

• Best Supporting Actor—Nicholson

• Best Sound

• Best Film Editing
overall: enthusiastically recommended

Breaking Away (1979) - "A small-town boy obsessed with the Italian cycling team vies for the affections of a college girl."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: it's a classic, I think? I wanted to see if it was any good.

AFI: 100 Years ... 100 Cheers (2006) #8

10 Top 10 (2008) Sports #8

IMDB: 7.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 95% Audience: 88%

notable quote: "Hey, that's my cat! His name's Jake, not Fellini. I won't have any 'ini' in this house!"
story: oh my gosh, it's not about the girl - it's all about the bike. And a little about being a townie. And growing up to be an individual, not who your parents think you should be. 
visuals: fun, especially for someone who's lived in or visited a bunch of different college towns
costumes, hair & makeup: classic 70s threads, man
acting: Dennis Christopher (Dave Stoller) is a delight

intangibles: hard to imagine how this played at release—was it a comedy or drama? It's certainly funny, has some dramatic elements, and is inspiring, and kind of makes you want to get on a bike and ride.
Academy Award winner: Best Writing, Screenplay written directly for the screen
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture

• Best Supporting Actress—Barbara Barrie (Mom)

• Best Director—Peter Yates

• Best Music, Original Song Score and its adaptation or Best Adaptation Score
overall: recommended

Broken Arrow (1996) - "Terrorists steal nuclear warheads from the U.S. military but don't count on a pilot and park ranger spoiling their plans."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I'm working my way through most of John Travolta's filmography
IMDB: 6.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 52% Audience: 44%

notable quote: "There's no difference between you and a guy who shoots up a schoolyard—you both got a headful of bad wiring."
story: goofy testosteronapalooza
visuals: look at the DVD cover and get a decent representation of 1/3 of the film
acting: Samantha Mathis (Park Ranger Terry Carmichael) is the only one who even tried 'acting' in this. She was good, but she could not save it.

intangibles: God. Awful.
overall: not recommended

Flame of Barbary Coast (1945) - "Montana cowboy Duke Fergus travels to 1906 San Francisco to collect a debt from Tito Morell, who runs a place on the dodgy Barbary Coast. Though he heads home after losing the money to Morell's card-sharping, Duke takes a crash course on card-play and returns with all his savings ready to take on Morell and start up his own place. A lot of this is due to Morell's woman Flaxen, for whom Duke has fallen. The earth may soon be moving for him in quite dramatic ways...."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: it's John Wayne in neither a war nor a Western film
IMDB: 6.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 36%

notable quote: "You big lug, it took an earthquake to stop you."
story: flamboyant, dramatic, and wild. This is BIG!
visuals: spectacular
costumes, hair & makeup: racy for 1906 via 1945!
acting: this is not an "acting movie"

intangibles: deadly reviews and panned by critics, but I thought it was weird and fun
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Sound Recording

• Best Music, Dramatic or Comedy Score
overall: recommended

[the title quotation is from A Few Good Men]