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 Solid
Breath
Tim
David
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
Tim David has
some totally bizarre effects on the market, and this is one
of the strangest things I have ever seen.
It's less of a trick and more of a stunt. You show
your mouth empty and then exhale a puff of vapor. There are
no gimmicks. It's a breathing technique you must learn and
practice. I don't presume to understand it.
This could easily get dropped into the same
category as blowing spit balloons off your tongue or pen
twirling, BUT given the right setting could be a very cool
way to enhance an existing bizarre routine. |
Symbiotic
Tim
David
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
Here is Tim
David's routine for coin in sugar packet. There are many
methods published, but this one is quite clean and
startling, and it is easy to perform.
You start with a borrowed signed coin. You vanish
it very cleanly at your fingertips (the vanish is quite
good). Then you tear open a sealed packet of sugar that is
resting on the table and pour out the sugar and the coin is
found within. |
 Numismati
Tim
David
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
Numismatic is
hard to say but easy to perform. It is a signed coin through
glass top table.
The penetration of the signed coin happens at the
fingertips. One second it on top of the glass table and then
it visibly falls through the glass into the waiting hand
below.
This uses several different principles to bring
about the clean effect, but it is worth the work and it will
bring gasps to your audience. Very visual magic. |
 Solstice
Tim
David
Rating: Good
WOW: Good
Method: Good
Value: Good |
Solstice is a
very interesting visible card color change. Now the handling
seemed a little familiar to me, but I can't place it. I
remember Jose de la Toree had a very neat series of color
changes using different techniues.
Tim adds a little flair to make the change seem
totally impossible and visible. At the right angles it
works. Worth checking out. |
 Pasteboard Animations
Dan &
Dave Buck
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
Get yourself a large bowl of popcorn and
a few cold ones before you settle down to watch this videotape. It's only 20 minutes long,
and the production quality is homegrown, but you're fingers will get sore from hitting the
replay button. It's that incredible to watch. Dan & Dave Buck are two
young teenage magicians who have obviously become infatuated with complex false cuts and
flourishes. Since I do not consider myself a historian, I can only tell you that I've not
seen moves like these before, and the kids do seem to try to credit their influences for
each move.
For a pair of young kids, Dan & Dave have hands the size of grown men which
no doubt aids them in their flourishes. I don't think the average person can stretch their
fingers to accomodate these moves, but try it anyway.
The explanations are tough to follow, and I'd prefer some slow motion and some
side and back angle shots to complete the explanations (L&L should really produce a
tape of these guys -- the material deserves better production), but those more familiar
with these types of cuts might be able to recreate a few of them with some diligence and
practice.
Like Chappy Brazil's Watch Steal video, this type of tape is entertaining to
watch, but it may not be very practical for most performers.
Still, you have to hand it to these kids for coming up with some incredibly
innovative flourishes and productions. You'll be hearing a lot about these guys, so you
should check out their video and lecture notes (they are cheap enough) before they become
famous and start charging an arm an a leg for their material. |
 Sankey
1999
Jay Sankey
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
You gotta love, Jay. He consistently
manages to increase the quality of the material on his videos while keeping his production
costs low. And he passes these savings onto the magic fraternity. If you
are looking for special effects, fancy titles, background music and other high production
standards, Jay's tapes are not for you. But if you are looking for incredible magic that's
relatively easy to perform, then I defy anyone out there to show me better videos.
This tape focuses on Jay's creative process and shares polished routines as well
as half-developed ideas. Either way, you won't be disappointed.
Highlights of this tape for me included "Measles" where an entire deck
of cards develops big, black spots on their backs; "Instant Origami" where a
small piece of paper instantly folds itself into a little hat; and the "Magnet
Card" where a card with a drawing of a magnet on its back transforms into the
selected card.
This is an amusing, fun tape that will make you gasp and giggle. A must have. |
 Sankey Very Much
Jay Sankey
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
This tape features a few knuckle busters
for you coin and card men out there, so if you enjoy a challenge, you'll like this tape a
lot. It's fun to watch, and offers some great insights on coin handling. Highlights
on this tape for me included "Invisible Cash" -- a smooth, flowing production of
four coins from bare hands; "Underhanded Coin Vanish" where four coins travel
from hand to hand in an apparently ultra clean fashion; and "Ouch!" wherein a
Band-Aid visibly appears on a torn, signed selected card and when the Band-Aid is peeled
off, the card is found to be totally restored! |
 Jay Sankey
Short & Sweet
Jay Sankey
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
This is another tape in Jay's vast list
of video offerings, and it is packed with highly commercial close-up magic suitable for
table-hopping and walk-around performances. Highlights of this tape for
me include "Pipsqueak" where a selected card appears folded inside of a squeaky
toy (made all the more awesome by the sudden disappearance of the squeak),
"Creamed" -- an impromptu chop cup routine using an empty dairy creamer
container and in the climax it becomes a sealed, full container of dairy cream; and
"Cashflow" -- a lightening fast appearance of four coins in a row on the table
top -- real pretty. |
 Jay Sankey's
Nonstop Magic Party
Jay Sankey
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
This is an unusual tape that combines
great close-up magic, some funny gags (with Jay singing and dancing!), and introduces
Jay's cartoons. Yep, in addition to being one of the most talented close-up magicians and
comedians around, he's also an artist, and his cartoons are a riot. Among
the highlights for me on this video include "No Jacket Required" where four
coins travel very cleanly from your hands to your pants pockets; "A Hundred
Reasons" where you bet $100 on a prediction of which of four freely selected cards
the spectator will choose (this is simple but a killer!); and "Fade Away" where
all of the cards in the deck turn completely blank except for the one card thought of by
the spectator. |
| The Dice
Stacking Video Todd Strong
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
Entertaining book
on dice stacking basics from a juggler's perspective. Kit is a good value for practice.
See full review here. |
| Jim
Zachary's Dice Stacking Video L & L
Rating: OK
WOW: OK
Method: OK
Value: OK |
Zach is
affectionately looked upon as the most knowledgeable dice stacker around. This video
includes much of the content from his book, Zach's Stacks. Jim sounds a bit robotic in his demonstration and performance, and
he is painfully aware of the video camera. This aside, this low-budget tape covers the
basics of his method and routines.
Check out Todd Strong's video from A-1 Multimedia for
something a bit more energetic and challenging. |
 The Art of Card
Manipulations with Jeff McBride, Volume I
L
& L
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
I've known Jeff
since we were teenagers hanging out conventions trading card riffs. These tapes are wonderful. I only wish I had these to learn from
when I was a kid.
My favorites include the Wink Change, Window Change,
Perfect Production, Hip-Hop Pop-Out, Steve Beam's Auto-Magic Aces, and Goldston's Card
Flower.
The tips between the lessons are priceless. |
 The Art of Card
Manipulations with Jeff McBride, Volume II
L
& L
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
The second tape in
the series continues with routining and more complex moves. Enjoyed the bluff arm spread and the other Cardini moves. |
 The Art of Card
Manipulations with Jeff McBride, Volume III
L
& L
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
The third, but
hopefully not final, tape in the series for the true card masochist. Knucklebusters
featured include the Butterfly Cut, Rolo-Deck, Japanese Card Production, Diminishing Cards
(very nice, Jeff) and Interlock Production. You
are the best, bud, simply the best. I sincerely appreciate your talent and your ability to
teach. Mystery School, here I come! |
| The Dice
Stacking Video with Todd Strong A1
Multimedia
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
I have been
astounded by this feat for years and Todd explains it all better than any book I have
read. He makes it look easier than it is,
and it makes me want to buy a dice cup now. Well produced. |
| The Magic
of Jeff McBride L & L
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
This is the first
magic video I have ever bought because Jeff is a friend, and I wanted to see what he was
up to these days. Well made video which
teaches wonderful magic, but the thoughts and performance advice are worth even more.
Recommended. |
 The Watch Steal Video
Chappy Brazil and Charles Bach
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
If you want the
real work on the art of stealing all kinds of watches, this is the best way to learn it. First, they show you the different kinds of watches, and then they
show you real footage of actual steals with real spectators.
Priceless and quite entertaining. Includes fine ideas on
presentation.
Chappy's premature death is a loss for all of us. |
