Christmas on Mars Lands in Chicago

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 2, 2008 6:30PM

Christmas On Mars is the years in the making super-independent first feature film from The Flaming Lips. A few years ago lead-Lip Wayne Coyne rounded up his bandmates, a few friends, and set out to make an interstellar psychodrama built around sets constructed from found objects primarily located around the Coyne home compound in Oklahoma City. The plot line involves ... actually we have to admit there barely is a plot line. The movie underwent numerous re-writes over the years as locations fell by the wayside, and the band's full-time obligations forced long lulls in filming. The end result is a disturbing tone-piece constructed from cameras that veer from disturbing close-ups to static location shots, and pop back and forth between black and white and color.

C'mon, it's The Flaming Lips, did you expect anything different?

The film came out on DVD a few weeks ago but, aside from a few festivals and some showings at this year's Lollapalooza, if you wanted to see it on the big screen you were out of luck. Well, if that's what you wanted, your fortunes just changed since the movie will run at Music Box Theatre this Friday and Saturday as a midnight movie.

Christmas On Mars plays December 5 and 6 at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport, midnight, $9.50 advance tickets available