Congratulations to all those who entered. Each entry was very well done. This was a really tough one to judge.

(Winners- Secretariat and CK -- Please e-mail me so I can get your mailing addresses to send you your posters)

secretariat:

In any profession there are a handful of people who rise to the top, and acting is no exception. Russell Crowe is one of the few truly superb actors working today. Here is why I think he's the best:

An actor’s goal is to show the essence of a character to his audience in context of the story. Other actors are capable of this for any given role, but there are two things that I believe set Russell Crowe apart and give him the “advantage” over others.

One is his tremendous versatility, and the other is his uncanny talent for nonverbal communication.

To illustrate his versatility, one need only take a look at the hugely varied roles he has played so effectively. From Nazi skinhead to gay plumber, from conflicted moral executive to gladiator, from schizophrenic genius to a boxer, Russell has made these and numerous other varied characters complex and completely convincing. What other actor has this range?

Russell uses every part of himself to illustrate his characters. Whether it is riding a horse, shooting a weapon, or the tormented motions of schizophrenia, he is completely believable in these actions. For instance, he captured Wigand’s frustrated impotence in a fall in the grass and Aubrey’s sheer joy as he climbed the mast. Who could forget the dignity of Maximus, walking from his cage to the arena or his disgusted spit into the dust? You realized Bud’s bond to Exley with that simple subtle nod.

Russell’s most important asset, however, is the nonverbal acting arsenal of his eyes. They tell us secrets about the character that words cannot: the cruel intensity of Hando’s alpha male stare, the shocked dismay in Andy’s teacup scene. The list is remarkable: the tattoo scene in Gladiator, Nash’s fear when he can’t find his transmitter, Braddock’s desperation, or Biebe’s love for his wife….all understood from his eyes.

I’ve often wondered how he does this so well, this speaking with the eyes.

And I have a theory. What really makes Russell the best is that he has the best imagination. While he is in a scene, he actually, in those singular moments, believes himself to be that person that he is playing. He suspends his own disbelief. Then how can we, the audience, not believe as well?

So now I’ve used all these words to state my case, but it comes down to a feeling, really. A few times in your life, if you are lucky, you witness something very special and you know you are seeing something that doesn’t come along every day. Watching Michael Jordan play, seeing Secretariat’s Belmont, hearing Perlman play the violin, you appreciate the sheer artistry, the excellence. One day a few years ago, I sat in a movie theater and watched Jeff Wigand unfold before my eyes. I knew I was seeing one of those special things. And that makes these last five hundred words irrelevant.