Favorite Western?
Gee, how about if I tell you about the worst Western I ever saw and worst sex I ever had--both were amazing.
Hell, I could not pick the best Western of the last 10 years. Too many great ones to pick a best, I would have to list at least 20 films. If you had to show 5 Westerns to a person to give them a feel for the Genre, I'd take (in no order) 1. Every Western with John Wayne; 2. Every Western with Jimmy Stewart, 3. Every Western with Eastwood, 4. Every Western with Charlton . . . oh to hell with this.
One I don't think I saw perusing these lists was The Missing with Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones--worth a watch. Another I did not see on anyone's lists might be McCabe and Mrs. Miller. The new Appaloosa (old one decent as well).
Modern Westerns, such as Lone Star, deserve a nod in my opinion, too.
Favorite Western Book so far? Charlie Siringo's autobiography.