Christmas on Mars (2008)

Directors:

Wayne Coyne
Bradley Beesley (co-director)

Writer:

Wayne Coyne (writer)

Genre:

Music | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Eat your own spaceship.

Plot:

Major Syrtis goes insane as he tries to improve morale in an abandoned colony on Mars through a Christmas pageant, where the first colonist baby will be born. |

Plot Keywords:

Mars | Oklahoma City Oklahoma | Santa Claus

Cast

Steven Drozd	...	Major Syrtis
Wayne Coyne	...	Alien Super-Being
Steve Burns	...	Major Lowell
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fred Armisen	...	Noachis
Scott Booker	...	Sirenum
Al Cory	...	Lucus
Dennis Coyne	...	Herschel
Kenny Coyne	...	Ed Fifteen
Mark DeGraffenried	...	Captain Icaria
Adam Goldberg	...	Mars Psychiatrist
Freddy Harth	...	Lunae
Peter Hermes	...	Arsia
Josh Higgins	...	Simud
Michael Ivins	...	Deuteronilus
Michelle Martin-Coyne	...	Solis Chryse
Mark Miks	...	Marc Four
Jimmy Pike	...	Jim Eleven
Mark Schaper	...	Huygens
Kliph Scurlock	...	Orcus
Mikey Thompson	...	Nili

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Trivia:

The Grammy-winning song "Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia)," from The Flaming Lips' album "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots," originated as the score for a scene in this film. When that scene was cut, the song was placed on the album at the last minute.

Goofs:

Continuity: The Martian's forehead antennae change angles from scene to scene - sometimes they are nearly straight up, sometimes at a 45 degree angle, and in one scene one is wildly askew.

Quotes:

Major Syrtis: They look like two moths, hovering around that light. Two moths. That's always haunted me. I must've been ten years old. Two little moths, sitting together on the window sill. I don't know why I did it. They were just sitting there, trying to stay alive. Just trying to enjoy their existence. And I just squished them. I wish I could go back, and change it. But I squished them. They never knew some larger force in the universe could show mercy on them. I wish I would have.

Movie Connections:

References Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

So Now We Know How Charlie Brown,The Grinch & The Dallas Cowboys Found The True Meaning Of Christmas

Okay. To try & sum this trippy little film up in (at least)one sentence: Take a jigger of Andre Tarkovsky's original Russian version of 'Solaris',mix in a dash of David Lynch's 'Eraserhead',fold in a pinch of '2001:A Space Oddyssey',add elements of John Carpenter's 'Dark Star',and just a tiny bit of 'Tetsuo:The Iron Man',shake well,pour into your cerebral cortex (with plenty of LSD),and Shazam, you have 'Christmas On Mars'. This is the absolute midnight cult film (if any cinemas had half a brain to screen midnight films,these days). This is the first feature film from the Oklahoma based rock band, the Flaming Lips. Wayne Coyne,who co writes the screenplay & co directs the film, also has a role as a space alien who never so much as speaks a word, but you somehow know exactly what he/it means. The film also features acting (?) performances by fellow Lips member,Steven Drozd as a freaked out astronaut,as well as other members of the band (and also Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse)in other roles. This film was shot over something like seven years, on a shoestring budget. Although there is no concert appearances by the band,the music & sound design was performed by the Flaming Lips (mostly a lot of deep space ambient sound). I especially admired the films visual look (which was filmed mostly in high contrast black & white with psychedelic colour bursts from time to time). This is the kind of film that will be a treat for some viewers (mostly Flaming Lips fans,who the band eternally thank at the film's conclusion), and a crashing bore to others (those who have no tolerance for something really different). The choice is yours. No MPAA rating here, but would easily snag an "R", due to course language, and some really surreal pseudo/quasi pornographic hallucination sequences. Leave the little one's home (who would probably be bored and/or confused out of their skulls,anyway).