behold a pale horse. And his name that sat on him was Death. And Hell followed with him

Three wins and two surprising losses. It is always interesting to see whether my taste aligns with others'.

Contact (1997) - "Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I like Jodie Foster
IMDB: 7.4/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 66% Audience: 78%

notable quote: "...if it is just us, seems like an awful waste of space."
visuals: fantastic
costumes, hair & makeup: basic sci-fi stuff
acting: David Morse is one of my favorites, and he's good here.

intangibles: I didn't love this. I think you have to buy into the whole concept, and I just couldn't.
Academy Award nominee: Best Sound 
overall: not recommended

How the West was Won (1962) - "A family saga covering several decades of Westward expansion in the nineteenth century—including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from a friend's collection
I watched it because: I'd heard of it, but didn't know what it was about
IMDB: 7.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 86% Audience: 74%

notable quote: "And I asked him, I said, 'Now, why'd you get in such a fix? Do you like fightin' grizzlies?' He said, 'Well, not 'specially. I just wanted to go somewhere and the bear was there first.' I guess I just wanna go somewhere, too."
story: immensely long film (164 minutes), multiple generations, about different ways the American West was explored and settled.

acting: all-star cast, of which Jimmy Stewart (Linus Rawlings) was the tops

intangibles: not at all what I thought it would be, and I thought it was fantastic
Academy Award winner:
• Best Writing, Story and Screenplay—Written Directly for the Screen

• Best Sound

• Best Film Editing
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture

• Best Cinematography, Color

• Best Art Direction—Set Decoration, Color

• Best Costume Design, Color

• Best Music, Score—Substantially Original
overall: recommended

Cinderella Liberty (1973) - "A lonely Navy sailor falls in love with a hooker and becomes a surrogate father for her son during an extended liberty, due to his service records being lost."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: James Caan is usually a favorite
IMDB: 6.8/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 63% Audience: 62%

intangibles: I have watched hundreds of movies in the last several years. A bunch have been fantastic, most were good, many were all right, and a handful sucked rocks. And then there were the very rare few: the DNF. So bad that I could not watch to the end. And this was one of them. Boring, except where it was repulsive, except where it was badly done.
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Actress—Marsha Mason

• Best Music, Original Song

• Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
overall: not even remotely recommended

The Bounty (1984) - "The story of Lieutenant Bligh, whose cruelty leads to a mutiny on his ship. Follows both the efforts of Fletcher Christian to get his men beyond the reach of British retribution and the epic voyage of Lieutenant Bligh to get his loyalists safely to East Timor in a tiny lifeboat."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I've seen other versions of the story and wanted to see if this one lived up to the hype
IMDB: 7.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 74% Audience: 72%

notable quote: "'I have done no more than any natural man would do.'

    'No, you've done no more than any wild animal would do. It always makes me laugh that whenever men lose their self-restraint, they always say they're natural.'

    'They are more natural than men who have nothing to restrain.'"
story: based on the true story of the mutiny on the Bounty, this focuses on the relationship between Lt. Bligh and Fletcher Christian.
visuals: dashing and eye-catching
costumes, hair & makeup: lots of bare-chested young men (and bare-chested young women, for that matter)
acting: Anthony Hopkins (William Bligh) is all restrained fury and super-ego, and as the other side of the coin Mel Gibson (Fletcher Christian) is anger and ego

intangibles: it is a harsh, gruff film with a thin sheen of sexiness. More angst than animal lust, the viewer is given much here to think about.
overall: recommended

Pale Rider (1985) - "A mysterious preacher protects a humble prospector village from a greedy mining company trying to encroach on their land."

Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: Clint (Preacher)
IMDB: 7.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 93% Audience: 83%

notable quote: "...if you're waitin' for a woman to make up her mind, you may have a long wait."
story: basic Western theme of bullies and protection
visuals: nice scenery
acting: Clint was the undisputed star of the show, of course. Chris Penn was uncomfortably good as the skeevy creep Josh LaHood, and Michael Moriarty showed great range as prospector Hull Barret.

intangibles: funny, sad, and multi-layered, this is well worth watching
overall: recommended

[the title quotation is from Pale Rider]