"DOUBLE EMNITY"Epilogue
Manhattan, New York; Alternate DimensionCole Turner aka Belthazor shimmered inside the Manhattan penthouse that he shared with his girlfriend and heaved a sigh of relief. Home. At last. He walked over to the liquor cabinet and prepared a glass of bourbon for himself. He needed it. Today had been a difficult day. Aside from his relationship with Olivia, the past two years had been difficult. It all started at a gala held to celebrate the first six months on the throne by the Realm's new leaders. Cole had the misfortune to catch the eye of one of his leaders – namely one-third of the entity known as the Source.Many of the Realm's subjects continued to reel over the knowledge that they were being ruled by three former witches. The exalted Charmed Ones had become warlocks nearly three years ago. Another ten months passed before they ended up killing the old Source. Many had expected another upper-level daemon to assume the throne . . . not three former witches-turned-warlocks. And unfortunately for Cole, the youngest sister ended up becoming quite taken with him. He found himself becoming Phoebe Halliwell's personal stud.The only bright spot in Cole's increasingly dismal life turned out to be one Olivia McNeill. He had first met the red-haired warlock during a brief holiday in the Melora Dimension, three months after his life as a gigolo had commenced. Like the Halliwells, she was a former witch who eventually became a warlock. Even more remarkable was the fact that all four had even shared the same whitelighter. Cole found himself becoming attracted to the redhead. She was exciting, brilliant, and possessed a mischievous nature that he found a breath of fresh air. Aware of Phoebe's abilities as a seer, Cole wore a charm to ensure that she would never learn of his relationship with Olivia.The half-daemon took a swig of his bourbon. Less than two days had passed since Olivia's trip to an alternate dimension and he missed her. Cole never figured that he would fall in love with anyone, let alone a former witch. For years, his mentor – Raynor – had taught him that evil did not fall in love. They were incapable of falling in love. But when Cole met Olivia, he found himself completely enamored. He tried to dismiss his feelings toward Olivia as a by-product of human ancestry. Until his mother pointed out that his grandparents, who had been among the Source's most ruthless demonic assassins, had been completely in love with each other.Cole's relationship with Olivia made it increasingly difficult for him to endure being a demonic stud for one of the Realm's leaders. Either Olivia had to get her hands on the Aingeal staff, or three situations might happen. One, Phoebe Halliwell would learn about Olivia. Two, he and Olivia might be forced to seek asylum in another demonic realm – one that was equally powerful. Or three, he could consider suicide. Since Cole did not consider himself the suicidal type, he realized that he might end up facing the first two situations. Unless Olivia managed to get her hands on that staff.The rich aroma of roasted meat caught Cole's attention. He headed toward the dining room alcove, where he found gleaming silverware laid out on an elegantly decorated table. Olivia had returned. Cole glanced around him. "Olivia?" He walked away from the dining table and returned to the living-room. "Olivia, are you . . .?"She finally emerged from the hallway and greeted Cole with a wet kiss on the mouth. The half-daemon noticed that she wore that slinky aquamarine sheath dress that accentuated every curve on her body. Olivia also wore matching sandal pumps. "So, how was your day?" she purred. She planted a light kiss on his mouth.Cole sighed. "Difficult. I had spent the better part of the day avoiding my tormentor. I'm seriously considering finding her another boy toy to play with."Olivia's mouth curved into a wide smile. She almost resembled the Cheshire Cat from "Alice in Wonderland". "I don't believe that will be necessary."For a brief moment, Cole contemplated his lover's words . . . and expression. Then realization finally struck him. "You've got it, don't you?" he said. "The staff."Olivia's smile widened. "That . . . and a lot more. Did you check out the dining table?""Yeah. It looked nice."The redhead rolled her eyes and grabbed Cole's arm. She dragged him to the dining table. Nothing had changed in the past few minutes. Then Cole's eyes caught sight of an object made from pale wood. "That can't be the staff . . . or could it?""It is." Olivia further explained that the staff magically stretches into full length when she holds it. "It has definitely accepted me as its bearer." Then she gave Cole's forearm a tight squeeze. "What else do you see?"Cole's eyes scanned the table. He spotted a small glass bottle standing to the right of the floral centerpiece. Black smoke swirled inside. "What in the hell is that?" he demanded. "Inside the bottle."Olivia walked over to the table and picked up the bottle. "Belthazor's powers.""Is this a joke?""No," Olivia replied coolly. "Inside this bottle are the powers of Belthazor from the other dimension. I stole them from him."Cole stared at the bottle. "Why?""Do you remember me telling you about what happened in Scotland? About how that sleeping draught was supposed to knock out the other Cole, so that those warlocks could kidnap the other Olivia without any opposition? But all it did was make him groggy? Well, I found out why." Olivia revealed a fantastic tale about the other Cole being possessed by the Source, killed by the Charmed Ones and ending up in the Wasteland. "And when he had escaped from the Wasteland with his new powers, he ended up more powerful than ever. More powerful than the Source."The half-daemon frowned. "So . . . if you managed to get the other Cole's powers, what happened to him?"Olivia sighed. "Um . . . I'm afraid he's dead. Sorry, but I had to kill him. I couldn't take the chance of him finding a way to get his powers back. Even if he was from another dimension." She did not sound very remorseful. Not that Cole cared. "And I also had to kill the other Olivia," the redhead continued. The announcement shocked Cole. "Well, it was the only way I could get inside their apartment and get the staff. The damn place was warded against any possible break-in."Cole continued to stare at his lover, as the depth of her murderous actions finally struck him. Then he threw back his head and laughed. He laughed at the irony that Raynor had been wrong about humans all that time. Especially since his very human girlfriend had just proven that she could be as ruthless and deadly as most of his demonic colleagues. When his laughter finally subsided, Cole asked one last question. "By the way, why haven't you used the powers for yourself?"A long pause followed. Olivia's face turned slightly pink. "Oh. Well, I guess I could have done that, couldn't I?" Then she sighed. "But you know what? I guess I'm just a sucker for love." Her green eyes bored into Cole's.The half-daemon found himself captivated by the beautiful redhead's loving gaze. He felt a great warmth wash all over him. Regardless of whether she was the epitome of evil or not, he could not help but love every inch of her. He drew Olivia into his arm. "What do you know?" he murmured. "So am I." Cole lowered his mouth upon hers.Olivia quickly broke off the kiss, protesting. "Cole! I might drop this bottle!""Let it drop." The half-daemon kissed Olivia again. This time, she did not bother to resist. As she slipped her arms around his neck, the small bottle slipped out of her grip and smashed on the hard floor. A black smoke curled upward and slowly engulfed the couple locked in an embrace.THE END
"GOLDENEYE" (1995) ReviewWhat can I say about 1995’s "GOLDENEYE"? For one, it marked a series of firsts for the Bond franchise. The movie happened to be Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as James Bond. "GOLDENEYE" also turned out to be Dame Judi Dench’s first time portraying Bond’s MI-6 boss, "M". And the movie also proved to be a first Bond film for director Martin Campbell, who will return eleven years later to direct 2006’s "CASINO ROYALE". After 1989’s ”LICENSE TO KILL”, I found myself frustrated by talk that it was time for EON Productions to give up on Timothy Dalton as Bond and find a new actor. To be frank, I did not want them to give up on Dalton. I thought he could have done at least one or two more Bond films in the 1990s. Needless to say, a lengthy lawsuit and Dalton’s reluctance to return to the role had put an end to my hopes. I was quite prepared to dislike ”GOLDENEYE”, until I heard that Pierce Brosnan had took over the Bond role. As much as I had grown to love Dalton’s interpretation of Bond, I had always been a Brosnan fan since his four-year stint as TV detective, ”REMINGTON STEELE”. I felt certain that he would be the right man for the job.Needless to say, ”GOLDENEYE” proved me right. Brosnan’s introduction as the British agent proved to be a major success. The man had the talent and the presence to pull off the job. I must confess that originally, he did not strike me as possessing his own originally style to portray Bond. Critic Roger Ebert once described Brosnan’s Bond as a combination of both Sean Connery and Roger Moore’s styles. To be honest, Ebert’s comments did not impress me very much. True, Brosnan’s style seemed like a combination of his two predecessors on the surface. But in time, I realized that he had his own style – that of a well-dressed dandy who hid his emotions and insecurities behind a poser façade. And yet, sometimes that façade cracked whenever faced by betrayal . . . as it did when he learned that his late colleague – Alec Trevelyan (Agent 006) - had faked his death in order to create a crime syndicate and eventually wreck havoc upon Britain with the aid of a stolen Russian weapons system. Many claimed that Brosnan did not really come into his own as Bond until his next film, ”TOMORROW NEVER DIES” (1997). Frankly, I disagree. I think that Brosnan did a very good job in establishing himself as the James Bond of 1990s, right off the bat.Looking back on the Brosnan era, I realize that the Irish-born actor had been very lucky with his leading ladies. And that luck began with Izabella Scorupco, the Polish-Swedish actress who portrayed Natalya Simonova, a Level 2 programmer at Russia’s Severnaya Satellite Control Station. With her exotic looks and no-nonsense attitude, Scorupco seemed to have no trouble at all keeping up with the more experienced Brosnan. Her Natalya is an intelligent and plucky woman who proved to be a very tenacious survivor . . . no matter what came her way. My only problem with the Natalya character was her tendency to use the ”Boys with toys” phrase or comment upon Bond’s destructive uses of vehicles. I found it tiresome after the second or third time. Brosnan had even better luck with the actor who portrayed 006 Agent-turned Janus crime syndicate leader – Alec Trevelyan. What can one say about Sean Bean? This guy is a true professional and his Alec Trevelyan turned out to be – at least in my opinion – one of the best Bond villains in the franchise. Because he was trained as a MI-6 agent, he proved to be a true match for Bond, as a nemesis. This was never more apparent than in the exciting martial arts fight between the two in the film’s last 30 minutes. Did I have any complaints about Bean’s performance? Nope. Did I have any problems with his character? Unfortunately, yes. Poor Alec Trevelyan seemed to suffer the same malaise as other Bond villains – setting up the agent for an over-the-top death. Shame. He could have been the best amongst the bunch.As I had stated before, ”GOLDENEYE” marked Dame Judi Dench’s first appearance as the head of the British Secret Service – M. I am a great admirer of Dame Judi, but her debut as M seemed a bit stiff to me. I realize that her character is supposed to be new in the position, but I got the feeling that not only did the character went through great lengths to prove that she could be Bond’s supervisor, the actress also went to great lengths to prove that she could portray a ruthless and no-nonsense head of intelligence. Thankfully, Dame Judi will get better in the role. Bond is assisted by two characters in ”GOLDENEYE” - CIA agent Jack Wade (portrayed by former Bond villain, Joe Don Baker) and former KGB-turned-entrepreneur Valentin Zukovksy (Robbie Coltrane). Baker was his usual competent self and he had some good moments during Bond’s initial meeting with Wade. But eventually, I found the character a little tiresome, especially with his nicknames for Bond – namely “Jim” and “Jimbo”. Coltrane seemed more effective to me. He was just as funny as he was in 1999’s ”THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH”, but Zukovsky came off as a little more intimidating in this film.Trevelyan also had his assistants – namely former Soviet pilot Xenia Onatopp (Famke Jenssen) and the computer geek Boris Grishenko, who had betrayed Natalya and other programmers at the Severnaya Satellite Control Station. I had been worried that Jenssen would prove to be as over-the-top (please, no jokes) as Barbara Carrera’s Fatima Blush in ”NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN”. Thankfully, my fears proved groundless. Well . . . somewhat. There were moments when Onatopp’s penchant for rough sex seemed a little tiresome. However, those moments seemed few and far in between. As for Alan Cummings (both he and Jenssen would go on to portray costumed mutants in the comic book franchise, ”X-MEN” with other Bond girl Halle Berry), his Boris Grishenko seemed at times very amusing and at other times, downright annoying. I must admit that he and Scorupco managed to create a nice little screen chemistry. And Minnie Driver had a hilarious cameo as Zukovsky's girlfriend, who happened to be a singer with a lack of talent.The plot for ”GOLDENEYE” revolved around former MI-6 agent Alec Trevelyan’s desire to exact revenge upon Great Britain for betraying his family and other Leniz Cossacks (former Nazi collaborators) to the Soviet Union following World War II. Trevelyan’s parents managed to survive the purge, but they eventually committed suicide in the face of survivor’s guilt. After Alec learned of his bloody past, he decided to get his revenge. He defected secretly during a routine mission in Soviet Russia with Bond and immersed himself in the underground world of the Russian Mafia. Nine years later, Trevelyan emerged as the mysterious Janus – leader of the Janus Crime Syndicate. And how does he get his revenge? First, he stole “keys” to the secret Russian EMP weapon, "GoldenEye", before disappearing into Cuba. With the keys to “GoldenEye”, he planned to electronically rob every bank in the UK setting off the GoldenEye blast – crippling every electronic device in the Great Britain and disguising his theft. Not a bad plot. Of course Bond and Natalya foiled him in the end.Although the plot seemed to have similar nuances to those “megalomaniacal” plots to destroy the superpowers and rule the world . . . it seems bearable without going over the top. And despite the almost out-of-this-world aura of Trevelyan’s scheme, director Martin Campbell managed to film ”GOLDENEYE” as a tight and suspenseful thriller with good performances and believable action sequences like Trevelyan and Onatopp’s theft of the NATO Tiger fighter helicopter, General Ourumov and Onatopp’s theft of the GoldenEye satellite keys, Natalya’s survival of the massacre and destruction of the Severnaya Satellite Control Station, Bond and Natalya’s escape from both the Russian holding cell (the tank chase aside) and their escape from Trevelyan’s ICBM train. But the piece-de-resistance for me turned out to be the Bond/Trevelyan fight. I have commented upon how much I enjoyed it. But I more than enjoyed it. For me, it was the best hand-to-hand fight scene in the entire franchise. I consider it superior to the Bond/Grant fight in ”FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE”. However, I doubt that many would agree with me.However, there were scenes that defy reality . . . and logic. I never could understand why Trevelyan did not simply have Bond shot dead in that icon graveyard, instead of setting both him and Natalya up to be blown up inside that Tiger helicopter. Bond’s escape from that chemical weapons facility in the pre-title sequence . . . a tad unbelievable. Although the tank chase through St. Petersburg is considered one of the best in the franchise, I hated it. I am sorry but I do. By including a tank in a chase scene, it simply bogged down the story for me. And I am not particularly fond of the finale at Trevelyan’s Cuban facility. The acting seemed in danger of going over-the-top and the method of how Trevelyan finally met his death (having the entire complex) fall upon him seemed to ridiculous to believe. He should have died after that fall he had suffered. If there is one thing about ”GOLDENEYE” I truly hated, it was the theme song, performed by diva Tina Turner. Poor Ms. Turner. I think she had the bad luck to perform what I consider to be the absolute worst song in the entire Bond franchise. And the musical score (written by Eric Serra), with its computerized tones combined with music to be . . . I will simply state that I hated it as much as I did the song. End of story.Despite its flaws, I still enjoy ”GOLDENEYE” very much, after twelve years. It possessed enough good performances and action sequences to be a worthwhile entry for EON Productions. As far as I am concerned, ”GOLDENEYE” is probably Brosnan’s best Bond film and Campbell’s second best film overall. And it is number eight on my list of favorite Bond films.
