"I am Shiva, the god of death!"

Today, I did my first field trip for my new job. I took my Humanities class to the Art Institute for a tour that examined how Classical mythology has been portrayed in art throughout the years, which seems like a cool idea for a tour. But the tour was much better on paper than in actual delivery. The tour guides were not great, and they did not spread the tour out enough. They spent too long on pots and urns, and then we had to rush through the rest of the museum. It was ok, but I think it could have been much better. But I love any chance to go to the Art Institute, and the students were glad to be away from school for a day.


Also, this past weekend I saw a fascinating movie: Michael Clayton. This George Clooney film has gotten amazing reviews, and they are well-deserved. Michael Clayton is the directorial debut of Tony Gilroy, the screenwriter of the Bourne films, and he does a brilliant job. The film tells the story of a law firm fixer, but I do not want to get in to the details of plot here. What I will say is that the story builds slowly, keeping us in the dark for much of the exposition. But the slow build makes for great tension and an amazing character study. And the payoff is wonderful.

The always great Tom Wilkinson really sucks the marrow out of this role, but it is Clooney's film, and he has never been better. And though this may seem like strange praise, the closing credits gripped me and would not let go. Yes, the closing credits. I cannot really say anything to do them justice, but Clooney's performance during the credits proves that he is a master craftsman.