Entering the movie, a movie I've waited two years to see.

The Awesomeness that is Bond Day

For about the past 30 years—or ever since I got my dri­ver’s license—my best friend Jason Scott and I have attend­ed the open­ing of the new James Bond movie togeth­er.

This has entailed our play­ing hooky many times—from school, jobs, girl­friends and wives.

Wel­come to the awe­some­ness that is Bond Day.

 

121fb2400775426f114569115461fb7dOf course, like the Olympic games in wartime, there have been a few years when we’ve been unable to cel­e­brate Bond Day togeth­er, and on those occa­sions I’ve gone to the open­ing alone or with anoth­er friend.

(In 1989—a dark time for us Bond fans—I went to the open­ing of Licence to Kill with friend Paul Mey­er, and our train broke down in the South Bronx. I explained to the con­duc­tor that we were try­ing to get to the new Bond film and, unbe­liev­able as it might sound, he opened the doors for us. We jumped off the train, crossed the tracks and end­ed up run­ning through the South Bronx—I in a pink Oxford shirt and a faux Rolex dan­gling from my wrist—to find a sub­way, while Bronx kids eyed us men­ac­ing­ly from doorsteps. The movie on that Bond Day was hor­ri­ble, but the day itself was mem­o­rable.)

Today, Fri­day, Novem­ber 6, 2015, was anoth­er great Bond Day. But the cel­e­bra­tion actu­al­ly began yes­ter­day, on Bond Day Eve…

 

Bond Day Eve starts out with shooting at the range with my friend Bob Hanaburgh. Here I'm shooting Dakota's gun—a Sig Sauer P226—incidentally the same gun Bond uses in part of SPECTRE.

Bond Day Eve starts out with shoot­ing at the range with my friend Bob Hanaburgh. Here I’m shoot­ing Dako­ta’s gun—a Sig Sauer P226—incidentally the same gun Bond uses in part of SPECTRE.

 

As an homage to the golf scene in GOLDFINGER, I play a round of golf.

As an homage to the golf scene in GOLDFINGER, I cap off Bond Day Eve with a round of golf.

 

BOND DAY. In the early morning, I get in some writing on my own hero, Dakota Stevens.

BOND DAY. In the ear­ly morn­ing, I get in some writ­ing on my own hero, Dako­ta Stevens.

 

I spend a few minutes re-reading the passage from the novel GOLDFINGER that made me want to become a writer in the first place.

I spend a few min­utes re-read­ing the pas­sage from the nov­el GOLDFINGER that made me want to become a writer in the first place:

“Bond motored com­fort­ably along the Loire in the ear­ly sum­mer sun­shine. This was one of his favourite cor­ners of the world. In May, with the fruit trees burn­ing white and the soft wide rivers still big with the win­ter rains, the val­ley was green and young and dressed for love…”

 

In celebration of Bond Day, I head out to pick up Jason by driving on the left side of the road. (Just kidding. This photo was taken by Alexas when I was driving us through Scotland in Sept. 2013.)

In cel­e­bra­tion of Bond Day, I head out to pick up Jason by dri­ving on the left side of the road. (Just kid­ding. This pho­to was tak­en by Alexas when I was dri­ving us through Scot­land in Sept. 2013.)

 

Jay and I enjoy a full English breakfast.

Jay and I enjoy a big break­fast.

 

It wouldn't be Bond Day without some fast driving. Jason forgot the tickets, so I had to put the hammer down to make it to the theater.

It would­n’t be Bond Day with­out some fast dri­ving. Jason for­got the tick­ets, so I had to put the ham­mer down to make it to the the­ater.

 

We arrive at the palace (theater).

We arrive at the palace (the­ater).

 

Entering the movie, a movie I've waited two years to see.

Enter­ing the movie, a movie I’ve wait­ed two years to see.

 

So, how was SPECTRE? Mar­velous. It is the best Daniel Craig Bond film since Casi­no Royale, and in some respects it’s supe­ri­or. Just as I pre­dict­ed, Christoph Waltz gives the most lay­ered and cap­ti­vat­ing por­tray­al of a Bond vil­lain that I’ve ever seen. The loca­tions are var­ied and unique. The cin­e­matog­ra­phy is exquis­ite. And a fight scene in the movie—in my con­sid­ered opinion—is the best in the Bond canon:

TOP 5 BOND FIGHT SCENES: 1. Daniel Craig vs. Mr. Hinx (on a train) in SPECTRE; 2. Sean Con­nery vs. Red Grant (also on a train) in From Rus­sia with Love; 3. Sean Con­nery vs. Colonel Jacques Bou­var (dressed as a woman) in Thun­der­ball; 4. Sean Con­nery vs. the assas­sin in the teas­er of Goldfin­ger; 5. Daniel Craig vs. the machete-wield­ing African thugs in Casi­no Royale.

There’s a lot more I could say about SPECTRE and how great it is, but I don’t want to ruin the movie for you. I’m going to see it again next week.

And now I look for­ward to Bond Day 2017.

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By Chris Orcutt

CHRIS ORCUTT is an American novelist and fiction writer with over 30 years' writing experience and more than a dozen books in his oeuvre. Since 2015, Chris been working exclusively on his magnum opus. Bodaciously True & Totally Awesome: The Legendary Adventures of Avery “Ace” Craig is a 9-episode novel about teens in the 1980s. It’s about ’80s teens, but for adults (in other words, it’s decidedly not YA literature), and he’s applied this epic storytelling approach to the least examined, most misunderstood, most marginalized narrative space in American literature: the lives and inner worlds of teenagers.

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