Christmas on Mars

Last night, I attended a free screening of the new Flaming Lips-directed movie, Christmas on Mars, thanks to the folks at the Bijou Theater. If you happen to know anything about the Flaming Lips, then most assumptions you could make about an avant-garde science fiction movie of theirs, based on Mars, over Christmas, would probably be accurate. Full of "cosmic realizations," morbid infant scenes, and genital-headed marching bands, they started off this flick with a low budget and an idea, producing perhaps the most telling story of a group of earthlings stuck on Mars who attempt to boost the morale of impending oxygen deprivation with a joyous Christmas celebration. Part grueling, part heart warming, this is the kind of holiday tale you would expect to receive as a bonus with your annual special edition pulp. Raucous comes to mind. The slight disappointment was the lack of Lips' tunes; one might expect a movie of their to exhibit a new array of songs. Apparently the production of the movie started in 2001, though, and like most of their projects, just take a while to finish, if at all. I'm just happy it made it to the big screen. One gets over its unmusicness rather quickly once Coyne finally makes it on screen. Wayne Coyne, the Lips' frontman, plays a great Martian whose presence is equated with that of Santa, and a space-station-farmed baby poses as a great analog to Jesus. I would recommend this movie to anyone who seeks an unPC, alt-rock take on how Christmas might really be on Mars, and strictly advise anyone without an adept knack for the absurd to stick with the more traditional holiday stories.