007 Heaven

Ever since we were preteens, we've wanted to be James Bond and cruise the globe in search of SPECTRE and the honeys. We had every film memorized, right down to 007's witty rejoinders as he dispatched whichever supervillain he was facing at a given moment (even if the double entendres went over our heads at such a tender young age).

So when we heard "Bond. James Bond. The Exhibition" was coming to the Arizona Science Center this weekend, we busted out our boxed sets and wanted to see the gadgets, gizmos, and vehicles used by Commander Bond throughout the years, like the switchblade shoe seen in From Russia With Love and the Acrostar MiniJet from Octopussy. There are also more props, film clips of special effects, conceptual artwork, storyboards, and costumes worn by the myriad Bond girls than you can shake a martini at (not stirred, of course).

There's a very cloak-and-dagger feel to the whole affair, as visitors receive a magnetic card to use with nearby computer terminals which test their knowledge of the British super-spy.

"We think it'll broaden our audience," says Sheila Grinell, president and CEO of the Arizona Science Center. "In this community, it's hard to get on people's radar. This might get them to come and see what the rest of the place is like and get attention in a very crowded marketplace."

Science will play some role, and demonstrations will be held examining the physics behind some of the spectacular physical sequences in the film series, like if Pierce Brosnan really could've caught up with that falling airplane in Goldeneye.

"Who ever said we have to be stuffy?" Grinell asks. "I want people to come in and understand what resources we have for families and the community."