I'll just comment on the Westerns for now.

The Searchers is a difficult one to get into for me as well (and I'm a Big Time John Ford and Westerns fan.) Appreciate the stunning photography and the amazing location (even better IRL) but the characters are a bit odd and it's difficult to have sympathy for the Euro Invaders.

High Noon I don't care for. The only thing I like about it is the real-time pacing. Gary Cooper is wooden, Grace Kelly looks way out of place ... I don't care one way or another about the political statement (except perhaps that trying to hammer out the political statement made the story just a bit more awkward.) I rather buy Howard Hawks' comments about High Noon and would add that Rio Bravo is one of my favorites.

Shane, Unforgiven, and The Wild Bunch, and Stagecoach are all gems in rather different ways.

I could make a long list and bore you, but just to toss a little more Western variety in, consider Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Silverado.