I have to interrupt Thanksgiving for a moment to talk about Christmas...ON MARS! If you weren't aware, The Flaming Lips is still a band. "She Don't Use Jelly" is NOT their only song, and Wayne Coyne, the suave and savvy frontman of the group, has been making a film for the past 5 years or so, and it's done. Yayyy!! I was lucky enough to go to the Flux Cinema Tuesdays November 11 screening of the film at The Montalban theater on Vine St. in Los Angeles, in celebration of the DVD release that same day.
This screening was like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: it was beyond my imagination. It was a wonderland of arrested development and I loved it. Want a party done right? Ask the Flaming Lips to plan it for you. Not only did a buncha folks come decked out in the themes of the film (y'know...Christmas, Mars, Christmas, M--you get the idea), but once we surmounted the very long line to get in, it was an orgy of free candy, popcorn, soda, and booze. Perfect for a sugar-addicted, cheapo woman-child like me.
I mean, look at these costumes! They're absolutely fabulous. It is a real testament to how devoted Flaming Lips fans are. You know that boring bit of time you have to waste before a movie screening starts? The excruciating forced eavesdropping on insipid conversations? Gnawing on that flavorless, stale gum you found at the bottom of your bag? Mindless flipping through the latest Entertainment Weekly with the cast of "High School Musical 3" on the cover? This was not a problem at this shindig.
Even Wayne was like, dang, you guys went all out.
Now on to what you really want to know: is "Christmas on Mars" any good? Your 90's-ologist readily admits a jaundiced film school-trained eye that loves to pierce newbie celebrity filmmakers where the sun doesn't shine for making me sit through their indulgent cinematic torments. But that won't be happening today. Especially since Scott or Rick may read this, and I really want an interview with the band, you guys, if you're reading. Hi. No really, I was definitely charmed and even moved by Wayne Coyne's screenwriting and directorial debut.
There's Christmas, and y'know, Mars, but there's also birth, death, the existential question ("why are we here?" not "what's good on TV tonight?"), and other assorted Big Themes. I am a sucker for the Big Themes, and I loved the way Wayne executes a delightful melding of "Logan's Run"-ish sci-fi camp, experimental techniques, and good old-fashioned Kubrickian dread. Alot of this is possible with the help of great cinematography by Brad Beesley, who also directed the awesome 2005 documentary about The Lips, "The Fearless Freaks." See that film if you know nothing about the band, it's illuminating.
I won't ruin this review by telling you exactly what goes on in this weird and gooey little film, especially since half the pleasure of watching it is talking back to the screen at the action, Mystery Science Theater 3000-style. I will tell you that Wayne Coyne appeared at the screening for a Q&A, which he gracefully conducted in that room full of freaky fans, and once again reaffirming my love for gentlemen with salt-and-pepper hair:
I highly recommend checking this DVD out if you are a Lips fan. Though not required, mind-altering substances are encouraged for viewing:
Santa approves.
Bye now!
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