Just A Peck 0011 // Pee Wee, Agnes Varda, Bed Head
Welcome to the latest issue of Just A Peck. I’m glad you’re here! New issues come out most Sundays. Unsubscribe at any time.
WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS WEEK
Criterion announced a 4k release of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure! An instant purchase for me. I love this film so much.
Lots of shows opening this week. First up, catch Robert Lee’s adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s La Ronde at Zeitgeist! “Sexy, literate, emotional, and highly theatrical.” Get your tickets here!
Then head over to Fitgers to see the Boat Club’s production of the Jonathan Larson musical Tick, Tick…Boom!. Tickets available here!
Finally, head up to UMD to catch their Stage 2 production of Jen Silverman’s The Moors! Tickets available here!
QUICK LINKS
- The Audubon Society's Interactive Bird Migration map
- How Agates form and why Minnesota lakes have so many
- A scrolling mosaic of old GeoCities GIFs
- The Markets of Old London
- A collection of midcentury North American restaurant placemats
- Index of Aesthetics
- Cat Aquariums
JOURNAL
We went to the Director’s Circle for Million Dollar Quartet this week. The Playhouse does one of these for every show. If you’re an eligible donor you should definitely attend, they’re a lovely opportunity to hear the director, designers, and cast talk shop.
Rehearsals for my next show The Shark Is Broken started this week! It’s a script I love (about Jaws!) and a crazy talented cast. Tickets are already available and seats are limited, so don’t wait!
How did you celebrate Pythagorean Perfect Square Day? (9/16/25)
Saturday night was Spirit of the Times, the annual party-slash-fundraiser for Zeigeist. It’s inspiring every year to see the community turn out to support this amazing organization.
What I watched:
- Daguerréotypes (1975). I love Agnes Varda and I love this sweet portrait of the small shops of Rue Deguerre, all within 300 feet of her home. Accordions, magic shows, butchers, bakers, and Mrs. Blue Thistle.
- The Beaches of Agnes (2008). Another brilliant Varda film, this one as a kind of cinematic memoir which was intended to be her final film. "It feels like I live in cinema. Cinema is my home." So inspiring.
- Winter Light (1963). Another stunning Bergman/Nykvist joint. Gorgeous and bleak. Gunnar Björnstrand, Ingrid Thulin, Max von Sydow, and God's silence. "Suffering is incomprehensible so it needs no explanation."
What I’m reading:
- Middlemarch, Eiliot
- Vineland, Pynchon
MEMORIES
Five Years Ago:
Spencer finally decided he wasn’t going to be able to wait out COVID in a tiny NYC apartment with two other guys, so I drove to New York to pick him and a carload of his stuff up. Driving back we created this video.
We helped Mom and Dad move everything out of the Lake House and into their Pole building in preparation for their closing.
I let my hair grow during COVID which resulted in some epic bed head.
Ten Years Ago:
We unveiled the upgraded version of QONQR at MinneDemo.
Twenty Years Ago:
Lots of fall days spent on the sidelines watching Soccer. Here is Spencer with two of his closest friends at that time.
Kaylee and Grandma
MY FAVORITE QUOTE OF THE WEEK
I'm often asked by younger filmmakers, 'Why do I need to look at old movies?' I've made a number of pictures in the last 20 years and the response I have to give them is that I still consider myself a student. The more pictures I've made in 20 years, the more I realize I really don't know. And I'm always looking for something or someone that I could learn from. I tell the younger filmmakers, and the young students, that they should do it like painters used do--study the old masters, enrich your palette, expand the canvas. There's always so much more to learn.
-- Martin Scorsese
That’s it for this week. Stay safe, friends. Thanks for reading!