So many movies ... so little time ...

​On this day in 2010 (in the U.S.), Eyes In The Dark probed the cinematic darkness in search of an audience attending the Alabama International Film Festival.  Written and directed by Bjorn Anderson, the Horror/Thriller starred Wayne Bastrup, Melissa Goad, John Soren, Maureen Francisco, Telisa Steen, Melinda Raebyne, Jason Robison, Paul Eenhorn, Ernie Joseph, Charlie Sims, and others.  According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Secret video files just discovered on an FBI server prove that the government has been hiding unexplained disappearances and a dangerous presence in the Pacific Northwest wilderness."

-- EZ
​

​The clash between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark stands as perhaps the most consequential rivalry in the entire MCU, with 64% of poll respondents naming it the most defining conflict of the franchise. What makes this rivalry so compelling is that it's fundamentally ideological rather than personal - at least at first.

"What worked about Civil War is that both sides had valid points," writes Reddit user MarvelFan2023. "Cap believes in freedom and individual choice; Tony wants accountability and protection. Neither is wrong, exactly."

The rivalry's seeds were planted all the way back in The Avengers (2012), where their different approaches immediately created friction. Cap, the soldier, sees the world in terms of duty and sacrifice. Stark, the futurist, thinks in terms of systems and safeguards. Their first meaningful exchange said it all:

Steve: "Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?"
Tony: "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

This ideological clash reached its breaking point in Civil War, but what elevated it beyond a simple disagreement was how deeply personal it became when Tony discovered that Bucky had killed his parents. The moment when Steve admits he knew the truth and Tony responds with "So was I" to Cap's "He's my friend" creates one of the most gut-wrenching betrayals in the MCU.

The poll reveals an interesting generational divide - 71% of respondents under 30 sided with Captain America in the conflict, while those over 30 were split almost evenly between the two heroes. Several respondents noted that their position has shifted over time.

"I was firmly Team Cap when I first saw Civil War," admits Twitter user @IronManForever. "Rewatching it years later, I'm much more sympathetic to Tony's position. That's what makes it such a great rivalry - your perspective on it changes as you grow."
​

If Cap and Tony represent ideological conflict, Thor and Loki embody the painful complexity of family rivalries. This sibling struggle came in second in our poll, with 57% of respondents naming it as one of the MCU's defining conflicts.

What makes this rivalry unique is its longevity and evolution. From Thor's first film through Ragnarok and beyond, the relationship between Thor and Loki constantly shifts between antagonism, reluctant cooperation, and genuine brotherhood. Tom Hiddleston's Loki remains the MCU's most beloved villain according to our poll (and multiple others), with 63% of fans citing him as their favorite antagonist - well ahead of Thanos at 48%.

The appeal seems to be in how personal their conflict feels. As one respondent noted: "The Thor/Loki rivalry works because it's fundamentally about love and betrayal. Thor never stops loving his brother, even when Loki is at his worst."

The sibling dimension creates emotional stakes that purely ideological conflicts can't match. When Thor tells Loki "You're my brother, and I love you" in Ragnarok, after everything they've been through, it resonates because we've seen the full spectrum of their relationship. Their rivalry never feels manufactured for plot convenience - it feels like the messy, complicated relationship of two brothers with very different places in the world.

What's particularly impressive is how this rivalry evolved from straightforward antagonism in Thor to something much more nuanced by the time we reached Infinity War. By that point, we understood both characters so well that Loki's final sacrifice carried tremendous emotional weight.
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The ripple effects of the Cap vs. Tony rivalry expanded into what many fans consider the MCU's most spectacular achievement prior to Infinity War - the airport battle in Civil War that pit hero against hero in previously unthinkable ways.

Our poll asked fans not just about the central rivalries but which "team" they ultimately supported in Civil War. The results show a slight edge for Team Cap at 53%, with Team Iron Man at 47%. More interesting were the reasons fans gave for their allegiance.

"I went with Team Cap because his position felt more principled," wrote one respondent. "Tony was reacting to his guilt over Ultron, while Steve was standing up for something he truly believed in."

On the other hand, Team Iron Man supporters often cited pragmatism: "The Avengers needed oversight. After Sokovia, it was irresponsible to keep operating with no accountability," another fan explained.

What made the airport battle sequence so compelling wasn't just the spectacle of heroes fighting heroes, but how it forced every character to make a choice based on their own values and relationships. Black Widow's mid-battle switch of allegiance felt earned precisely because we understood her conflicted loyalties. The emotional weight of War Machine's injury landed because we knew how much it would devastate Tony.

The rivalry expanded beyond the personal conflict of Steve and Tony to become a litmus test for every character in the MCU, showing us where they stood when forced to choose between competing values. That's storytelling depth you rarely see in blockbuster franchises.
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While hero-versus-hero conflicts create compelling internal tension within the MCU, the most existential rivalry was undoubtedly the Avengers against Thanos. This conflict represented a different kind of rivalry - not ideological or personal, but a clash between fundamentally incompatible worldviews about existence itself.

What made Thanos unique as an antagonist (and why 48% of poll respondents named him their favorite villain) was that he didn't see himself as a villain at all. His rivalry with the Avengers wasn't driven by hatred or power-lust, but by a twisted form of utilitarianism. In his mind, he was the hero making the hard choice that others couldn't.

"Thanos works because he believes he's right," one respondent explained. "And the scary part is, given his experiences, you can follow his logic even while recognizing how monstrous his conclusion is."

The rivalry between Thanos and the combined forces of Earth's heroes provided the necessary culmination to the Infinity Saga, testing not just the physical strength of the heroes but the strength of their convictions. Could they defend a world worth saving? When faced with the ultimate loss, could they find a way to persist?

Perhaps what cemented this rivalry as definitive for the MCU was the unprecedented emotional weight of The Snap. When asked which Infinity War death hit hardest, 61% of respondents cited Peter Parker's emotional "I don't want to go" moment - a scene that crystallized exactly what was at stake in this rivalry.
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Beyond the headlining conflicts, the MCU has crafted several secondary rivalries that, while receiving less screen time, still resonated deeply with fans. These conflicts often provide character-defining moments that elevate individual films.

Spider-Man vs. Vulture received particular praise in our poll, with 20% of respondents naming it one of their favorite MCU rivalries. What made this conflict special was how genuinely personal it became - the car ride scene where Toomes realizes Peter's identity creates tension rarely matched in superhero films.

"The moment when you realize Vulture is Liz's dad is one of the best twists in the MCU," wrote one fan. "Suddenly it's not just about stopping a villain; it's about a kid who has to choose between doing what's right and having a normal life."

Doctor Strange's philosophical conflict with Mordo similarly sets up what could become one of the more compelling future rivalries. Their disagreement about the natural law and whether the ends justify the means creates potential for a rivalry based on genuine ideological difference rather than simple antagonism.

T'Challa's conflict with Killmonger also received significant mention, with 29% of respondents citing it as one of the most compelling rivalries in the franchise. What made this conflict unique was how it forced the protagonist to confront the legitimate grievances of his antagonist, ultimately incorporating elements of Killmonger's worldview into his own.
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As the MCU continues expanding into its multiverse phase, fans are already speculating about which rivalries might define the next saga. Our poll asked which upcoming potential rivalry they were most excited to see develop.

The introduction of the Fantastic Four has 43% of respondents eager to see Doctor Doom emerge as the next great antagonist, potentially setting up a rivalry that could span multiple films. Given Doom's complexity in the comics - a villain whose methods are abhorrent but whose motivations often contain kernels of nobility - he could provide the kind of nuanced antagonism that made Loki and Thanos so compelling.

The X-Men's eventual integration into the MCU has 38% of fans anticipating the classic Xavier/Magneto rivalry making its way to the big screen in a new form. What makes this potential rivalry particularly intriguing is how it mirrors the ideological clash of Civil War, but with even higher stakes for the mutant population.

Several respondents also mentioned anticipation for Kang the Conqueror as a rival who could challenge the Avengers not just physically but intellectually, potentially forcing our heroes to confront the consequences of their time-travel adventures in Endgame.
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Folks, you know me: I don't engage in a great deal of what I'd call 'current promotion.'

So much of the World Wide Web has -- over the years - kinda/sorta de-evolved into little more than point-and-click journalism all for the sake of the mighty dollar.  Of course, this isn't to suggest in any way that I'm personally opposed to anyone making a profit: my point is that so few outlets any more provided content just for content's sake, giving you something that's chiefly worth reading -- worth giving you information -- and nothing more.  That kind of substance seems to have been lost; and -- in its place -- there's a great deal of commerce along with a sometimes excessive amount of editorial opinion.  I do try to stay away from the biggest percentage of that stuff, trying more to just archive information and/or promote genre awareness for those watching.

Something that's been lost in the process is good old-fashioned movie promotion.  Have you seen or read about how much it costs studios to simply advertise their wares these days?  Good grief!  Producers have to shuck out an incredible $20M, $30M, and $40M just to get coming attractions up on television and/or elsewhere, and I think that's a real shame.  It shouldn't mean taking out a loan to avoid bankruptcy if you wanna let folks know that you have something which might be worth a ticket price: I've always felt that way, even for the smallest flicks.  Sure, I have to charge interested parties to post their trailers on SciFiHistory.Net, but rest assured that my prices are ridiculously unconscionably lowball.  I mean ... my prices are so damn low it oughta be a crime.  But I, too, need to make a few bucks just to keep this space running.  I'm not rolling in dough, and yet it can get pricey from year-to-year.

Sigh.

Still, the sole purpose is that I wanted to drop a bit of information regarding the present theatrical run of David Cronenberg's The Shrouds, which is current making its way through the cineplexes.  No, I haven't seen it, but I honestly didn't even know that it was out there.  That's what I'm talking about when I say how is it even remotely possible that a name so celebrated as Cronenberg's has so little promotion in the modern age?  What have we become, folks?  What have we become?

Here endeth the rant.

Press materials are posted below, which I received on behalf of the good people at Criterion.

-- EZ
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Lar Park-Lincoln -- with only just over two dozen screen credits to her name -- really had an impressive career in the realms of the Fantastic. 

Genre fans might know her skills as displayed in such projects as House II: The Second Story (1987), Friday The 13th: The New Blood (1988), Freddy's Nightmares, From The Dark (2009), Gravestoned (2009), Sky Sharks (2020), 13 Fanboy (2021), Rose Blood: A Friday The 13th Fan Film (2021), and Ghost Party (2022).

On another note, the talented actress also appeared in the fondly-remembered Space: Above And Beyond as a one-off guest star.  80's fans might recall that she also paid a visit to the world of TV's Highway To Heaven.

Though she's no longer with us, Park-Lincoln was born on this day in 1961.

[Source: IMDB.com]

Our warmest prayers are extended to the family, friends, and fans of Lar Park-Lincoln.

May she rest in peace ...

-- EZ

So many movies ... so little time ...

On this day in 2015 (in the U.S.), audiences in attendance of the USA Film Festival were treated to the exclusive theatrical premiere of End Of Days, Inc.  Directed by Jennifer Liao from a story by Christina Ray, the SciFi/Comedy starred Mark O'Brien, Paulino Nunes, Janet Porter, Carolyne Maraghi, Paul Hyung-Sun Lee, Anna Ferguson, Karen Glave, Sandy Kellerman, Mark Robinson, Luis Fernandes, and others.  According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"A group of laid-off workers bribed into working one last night discover that processing the last of their "inventory" will lead to cataclysmic consequences."

-- EZ

So many movies ... so little time ...

On this day in 1970 (in West Germany), Dorian Gray delivered a bit of art and Fantasy to moviegoers.  Massimo Dallamano both adapted and directed the work based on a story from Oscar Wilde, and the film starred Helmut Berger, Richard Todd, Herbert Lom, Margaret Lee, Marie Liljedahl, Isa Miranda, Beryl Cunningham, Renato Romano, Stewart Black, and others.  According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"A corrupt young man seemingly sells his soul to eternally retain his youthful beauty, all while a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all."

-- EZ
​

So many movies ... so little time ...

On this day in 1981 (in Italy), Cannibal Ferox tried to take a bite out of the box office ... in more ways than one!  Written and directed by Umberto Lenzi, the Horror/Fantasy starred Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Lorraine De Selle, Danilo Mattei, Zora Kerova, Walter Lucchini, Fiamma Maglione, Robert Kerman, John Bartha, Venantino Venantini, Perry Pirkanen, and others.  According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Three friends embark on a trip through the Amazon jungle to disprove cannibalism, where they meet a pair of fugitive drug smugglers forcing a vicious cannibal tribe to harvest cocaine."

-- EZ

So many movies ... so little time ...

On this day in 2001 (in the Great White North that is/was Canada ... do we still call it that?), A Crack In The Floor appeared with its release on home video.  Written and directed by the team of Sean Stanek and Corbin Timbrook, the Horror/Thriller starred Mario Lopez, Gary Busey, Bo Hopkins, Rance Howard, Tracy Scoggins, Justine Priestley, Daisy McCrackin, Bentley Mitchum, David Naughton, Bill Erwin, and others.  According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"When his self-imposed exile from society is interrupted by a group of friends on a hiking trip, a murderous hermit terrorizes the visitors."

Alas, I'm not seeing a post on the normally reliable YouTube.com for a theatrical trailer (at least, not one that I think is related to this film), but I do see that the flick is up in its entirety with one of those ads-included options.  As this is all I have to share in the space below, I'm posting it in that space.

-- EZ