First-round voting will close at midnight Eastern on Thursday, with Round 2 matchups seeded and put out for consideration before week's end. Now's the chance for new voters to make a difference in some close races, including one involving a top seed as selected by our panel of movie experts.

Here are seven showdowns where only a few votes will determine which film moves on, with percentages taken from Wednesday afternoon. Vote now to help decide the round of 32.

1. Aliens (50.3 percent) vs. Born on the Fourth of July (49.7 percent)

FILE- In this 1986 file photo originally released by 20th Century Fox, Sigourney Weaver is shown in a scene from the movie "Aliens." (AP Photo/20th Century Fox, file)

Weaver 1, Cruise 0? "Aliens" and "Born on the Fourth of July" have been close in early voting.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

And why is the sci-fi classic part of our 64-film field? Let the selection committee explain for itself:

2. Stripes (52.6 percent) vs. A Bridge Too Far (47.3 percent)

"Stripes" has faced a tougher-than-expected battle from "A Bridge Too Far" in the first round.

Photo Credit: Screen grab via YouTube

The winner could get a Round 2 date with "Top Gun."

3. Letters from Iwo Jima (52.3 percent) vs. Inglourious Basterds (47.7 percent).

So far, Clint Eastwood's fictional take on a real-life battle, from the Japanese perspective, is poised to upset Quentin Tarantino's World War II fantasy.

If "Basterds" rallies, it could set up an all-Brad Pitt matchup in the second round with "Fury."

4. MASH (50.4 percent) vs. Midway (49.6 percent)

Donald Sutherland, left, and Elliot Gould play two skilled but irreverent Army surgeons during the Korean War in M*A*S*H*, director Robert Altman's 1971 film taking a satirical look at an Army hospital. (AP Photo/20th Century Fox)

Donald Sutherland, left, and Elliott Gould tee it up in "MASH," which is facing "Midway" in the first round of Military Movie Madness.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Despite the culture clash, or maybe because of it, only a handful of votes separates the two.

5. Das Boot (50.3 percent) vs. The Deer Hunter (49.7 percent)

This is a 1978 photo of a scene from the film "The Deer Hunter", directed by Michael Cimino, showing Robert De Niro. (AP Photo)

"The Deer Hunter," starring Robert De Niro, has been all but tied with the U-Boat epic "Das Boot" in early voting.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

6. Lawrence of Arabia (50.8 percent) vs. Sergeant York (49.2 percent)

The battle between two very different takes on World War I has been closer than our expert panel would've predicted. Here are some views from the panel on the Academy Award winner for Best Picture of 1963:

7. In Harm's Way (51.2 percent) vs. Dr. Strangelove (48.8 percent)

Maj. Kong (Slim Pickens) rides a nuclear bomb down onto a Russian ICBM site in the Stanley Kubrick classic movie "Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb". The movie is a dark comedy about an accidental nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. (Columbia Pictures) Photo is a frame grab from the film.

Into the sunset: Top seed "Dr. Strangelove" failed to reach the second round of Military Movie Madness.

Photo Credit: Columbia Pictures

As expected, "The Duke" is well-represented in the field, including a first-round matchup between Wayne's "Sands of Iwo Jima" and Wayne's "The Longest Day." And while "Strangelove" struggles, George C. Scott's powerful performance in "Patton" is cruising into the second round.

About Kevin Lilley

Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.

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