Although the historic close proximity of Mars this week is for a limited time only, skywatchers with Martians on the brain can continue feeding their red planet hunger with a variety of popular culture mediums available on Earth. Over the last century or so, Mars has been viewed many ways in books, film and music. Writers and filmmakers have made it the home of antagonistic aliens and the next New World for human pioneers. At least one movie has credited the planet for seeding Earth with life as we know it.