I watched The Flaming Lips' movie Christmas On Mars yesterday. Kinda cool; what works best are the elements more obviously 2001-influenced: the score, moments of stillness, the backdrop, and some impressive, albeit clearly low-budget, special effects. Pretty funny too. What doesn't work so much is the plot, which is basically a story of a man attempting to throw a Christmas party on Mars in the midst of mechanical crisis, madness, and certain death, and that's due mostly to Coyne's decision to focus on a general theme of weirdness, using odd imagery, tons of swearing and pussy-faced marching bands to create his atmosphere, rather than selling tension that's so important to the success of the plot, but ultimately only suggested.