Christmas On Mars @ deadCENTER (OKC, OK) 6/13/08

There are two things I never thought I would get to type in 2008:

#1: I have finally seen Christmas On Mars in its entirety.

#2: Christmas On Mars is an amazing achievement that manages to live up to the hype, even after 6+ years of waiting.

On a stormy Friday the 13th nearing midnight, I found myself packed into a circus tent to watch the film along with approximately 150 Flaming Lips fans and the band/filmmakers themselves. It may not have come early, but Christmas was about to finally come to Oklahoma City! Always the proverbial circus ringleader, Wayne Coyne was working overtime to set the screening up as part of deadCENTER Film Fest and create an event that was way more unique than your average film viewing experience.

Since the film first went into development sometime around 2001, there’s been more questions about the mysterious project than answers. Living in OKC (myself just blocks away from Coyne’s house where some scenes were filmed), it increasingly seemed to be more myth occurring than an actual movie. What’s it about? Why is it taking sooooo long? Is it actually going to be any good?

You’ll be happy to know Coyne himself addressed these questions and more (including the comparisons to GnR’s Chinese Democracy) in the first of three video segments shown before the flick. (Check out the interview on YouTube.)

It should be no surprise that sound is an important aspect to this film. (Remember - this movie was made by the same man who brought you the simultaneous four-disc experience that is Zaireeka…) One of the best reasons to catch this film live is The Zeta Bootis Mega Supersonic Super-Sound Surround System, which is introduced with a Grindhouse-style intro that elicited both laughter and applause from the audience. It also deftly demonstrates the eardrum-busting capabilities of the system.

A third and final quick vid played before the film encouraging the audience to “cheer, applaud, laugh, freak out, smoke pot, enjoy yourself, have sex, be happy, be sad, be alive mother fuckers.”
The good news, however, is that no setups are actually necessary for the film - Christmas really does speak for itself.

Although the film does have comedy, those expecting a campy flick are going to be disappointed. Christmas On Mars is not Santa Claus Conquers the Martians for a new generation. It’s actually closer to 2001: A Space Odyssey - a cryptic sci-fi pic loaded up with philosophical and allegorical suggestions. On its surface, Christmas is about a Mars colonist attempting to avoid insanity while organizing a Christmas pageant and dealing with a mysterious alien visitor. The narrative, however, is just a device for Coyne to ruminate on life, death, and themes that will be familiar to fans of The Lips’ music.

As a director, Coyne proves himself to be an admirable auteur. Like Michel Gondry, he is irrepressibly inventive when it comes to visuals that can razzle the retina without busting the bank. The homemade sets and props all appear so lovingly and imaginatively put together, they’re supporting evidence of why the film took so long to make. There’s always something interesting to look at on screen - from engineered space-babies to a marching band of female genitalia. (In fact, the entire film is filled with more vaginal imagery than a Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit…)

One of the film’s biggest surprises is just how natural Lips guitarist Steven Drozd turns out to be as an actor. Considering the movie was shot so sporadically and without a script, his performance in the lead role is crucial to holding everything together and he does so remarkably. Not surprisingly, the always-awesome Fred Armisen also stands-out delivering laughs and a memorable version of “Silent Night.”

Overall, the live Christmas On Mars was an experience worth the wait and it made my faith in The Flaming Lips’ creative abilities only grow stronger - definitely one of the biggest surprises I’ve experienced in 2008.

SIDENOTE: (The above photo is the Christmas On Mars popcorn box Wayne Coyne was cool enough to sign for me!)

MP3:
Alexi Murdoch - “Silent Night”
Flaming Lips - “A Change At Christmas (Say It Isn’t So)”