Over the break, I was lucky enough to catch a screening of Christmas On Mars, a film by psychedelia stars the Flaming Lips. Musically, the soundtrack is pretty unbelievable. Lots of great orchestration and themes. But also, in true Flaming Lips fashion, the sound effects and walls of noise used throughout bolster each sequence and sometimes adds a humorous element (sounds of doors opening, delayed footsteps, etc) that has always been a mainstay of the bands sound.

The film itself is a throw-back to the old sci-fi movies like Metropolis or The Day The Earth Stood Still. The plot — humans are living on Mars, humankind is on the verge of losing oxygen and losing the first baby born in space, and an alien (Wayne Coyne) comes to help — seems to be a vehicle for Wayne Coyne’s nothingness philosophy which remains the subject of much of the Lips’ work. And while Coyne says not one word the whole movie, it seems the characters are all speaking from this perspective. Lots of wordless walking sequences, too. A confusing amount of walking around actually. But great from start to finish.

For fans of old b-movies, cult sci-fi classics, and old monster movies, this is one you shouldn’t miss in the theatre. It’s a blast to watch and listen.