An evening with James Bond

August 1, 2006 9:17 AM

I'm moving into a new apartment and am throwing a party - an Evening with James Bond - to break the new place in. (Really I just want an excuse to watch From Russia with Love and Goldeneye with friends.) What are some creative ideas for decorations/games?

Some details:
* The apartment is kind of small, but I'm not expecting a stadium full of people. 10 - 15 people max. Not everyone knows each other.
* This is my first time throwing a party not stuffed to the brim with relatives
* I'm hoping to rent a projector to show the movies on the wall.
* Most of the folks will be college seniors and aren't really the alcoholic lot
* So far for decorations/theme things, diamond shaped ice cubes, jello martinis
* I have a budget of about $150

Thanks in advance!

posted by tozturk to Grab Bag (21 answers total)

If you have any drawing ability, or know someone who does, convert the bathroom into a shark tank!
posted by Sara Anne at 9:21 AM on August 1, 2006

The only suggestions I can think of are:
- vodka martinis, shaken not stirred
- caviar (but if you're on a budget...)
But I love the concept!!
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 9:21 AM on August 1, 2006

Best answer: What about a game of James Ernest's Totally Renamed Spy Game? (the original name of the game, of course, was "Before I Kill You, Mr. Bond")
posted by jozxyqk at 9:24 AM on August 1, 2006

Hmm...Maybe a costume shop / dollar store / random gift shop has a stock of cheap black bowties you can hand out?
posted by inigo2 at 9:35 AM on August 1, 2006

Best answer: Tape a cardboard tube to a camera and take pictures of your friends. If done with the right lighting it will look like the iconic gun barrel images.
posted by Alison at 9:44 AM on August 1, 2006

Get this guy to crash your party...

Seriously though, tuxedo t-shirts and squirt guns are always fun.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 9:50 AM on August 1, 2006

Sounds cool, but is the matching of From Russia with Love with Goldeneye really all that appropriate. Talk about going from the sublime (best of *all* Bond films) to the ridiculous.

Why not Goldfinger instead?
posted by Gordion Knott at 9:53 AM on August 1, 2006

I was going to suggest something along the lines of the gun barrel too. If you have a longish hallway (ideally, leading from the front door), tape huge sheets of paper to the wall and draw on them so that at the end of the hallway, it appears that you're looking down the barrel (bonus: get some stage lighting red gels and construct blood dripping down at the opposite end).

Buy some of those tuxedo t-shirts for others to wear.

Get a hatrack and a couple fedoras; take turns trying to toss the hat onto the rack.

Blackjack.

On preview: darn it, 1f2frfbf! And I second the incongruity of Russia with Goldeneye. Either match up two good Bond flicks, or two bad ones (Moonraker and Goldeneye = sweet).
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 9:58 AM on August 1, 2006

Best answer: 2 hours of sleep last night, I had a brain fart. Much as I'm a girl and like Brosnan, I meant Goldfinger.
posted by tozturk at 10:00 AM on August 1, 2006

If you want to play games, get everyone a little tipsy and play Apples to Apples.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:21 AM on August 1, 2006

You'll definitely need some high-class, (pseudo-)high-stakes gambling. When I think Bond, I think baccarat.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:36 AM on August 1, 2006

I've only ever been to one Bond themed party, quite a few years ago. The hostess painted her entire body gold and walked about naked all evening.
posted by gravelshoes at 10:39 AM on August 1, 2006 [1 favorite]

Have people describe and act out their favorite Bond scenes, like Alan Partridge did at the end of this episode.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 11:01 AM on August 1, 2006

Do your friends have a decent amount of James Bond knowledge? You could tape character names to their back (Oddjob, Dr. No, Moneypenny, etc.) so that they don't know which character they are. Then have them ask other guests questions to find out.

Gives everyone an ice breaker, has a secret identity vibe that meshes with the James Bond theme. That's my two cents.

Or you could get two Gypsy women to catfight.
posted by condour75 at 11:43 AM on August 1, 2006

set your apartment on fire
posted by m@ at 11:45 AM on August 1, 2006

crap, I mean set your apartment on fire
posted by m@ at 11:46 AM on August 1, 2006

Could be fun to get a Jeopardy! board game or something like that, in honor of SNL's tribute to Sean Connery on celebrity Jeopardy.
posted by clairezulkey at 12:37 PM on August 1, 2006

Best answer: Everyone in Bond-esque outfits would be awesome. Anyone who doesn't show up in costume gets an embarassing "loaner" costume consisting of a sign with something like "Expendable Minion" or "Henchman #5" written on it. Then everyone can grab some awesome pictures of each other, which I find is the best part of any themed party.

I love Sara Anne's idea of the shark tank bathroom! I would go further and decorate a few other rooms. The room where you're watching should have green felt on the tables, poker chips and cards. Another room could be set up as a "Control Room". Take pictures of the different rooms in the house from strange angles, put "tv frames" around them and stick them to the wall. Then cover a table with buttons and sparkly bits for "lights". And a fake countdown timer with a Big Red Button.
posted by cathoo at 1:06 PM on August 1, 2006

You need a fake auction of a Fabrege egg, of course. (See Octopussy).
posted by Ironmouth at 1:21 PM on August 1, 2006

The hostess painted her entire body gold and walked about naked all evening.

Let me be the first to say, that's totally hot. ;)
posted by gregschoen at 1:28 PM on August 1, 2006

Backgammon.
posted by pompomtom at 4:32 PM on August 1, 2006