Whoa I haven't updated in a long time.
I've been striving to be a better doctor and at the same time a better magician. Made quite a few purchases since my last update. Can't even remember them all - many times I just stress-purchase...
One of the books I'm reading right now is Card Dodgery by JK Hartman. It is absolutely great stuff. I've found nothing but useable material in there. The hard part is picking out what I should and shouldn't use, because I have a tendency to cluster my material together from a single source. Not that that's against any code, but...gotta keep it varied.
Also Ryan Schultz is amazing. His DVD's are great and I like this slightly ADD casual performing style. I really need to buy Making the Cut.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Saturday, August 31, 2013
I just bought some new stuff:
Joshua Jay's Close-Up, Up Close Vol 1-3
Ultimate Self Working Card Tricks Vol 1 and 2
Fan2c
Greg Wilson's On the Spot and Coffee House Conjuring
Pro-Flite
Nest of Wallets
I only had a short time to spend with each of them but they are all fantastic.
The Coffee House Conjuring has more set-up then I would have liked but the set-ups are fairly easy and take at most 10-15 seconds. If you prepare everything beforehand you could have a really charming close-up show.
Really all the DVD's are just stellar.
Also can I just say that even with the hype, Nest of Wallets is just too much fun for words? Pro-flite is also great but I have to practice more to get the knack.
I'm really happy with my purchase!
Joshua Jay's Close-Up, Up Close Vol 1-3
Ultimate Self Working Card Tricks Vol 1 and 2
Fan2c
Greg Wilson's On the Spot and Coffee House Conjuring
Pro-Flite
Nest of Wallets
I only had a short time to spend with each of them but they are all fantastic.
The Coffee House Conjuring has more set-up then I would have liked but the set-ups are fairly easy and take at most 10-15 seconds. If you prepare everything beforehand you could have a really charming close-up show.
Really all the DVD's are just stellar.
Also can I just say that even with the hype, Nest of Wallets is just too much fun for words? Pro-flite is also great but I have to practice more to get the knack.
I'm really happy with my purchase!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Cameron Francis' Wallet Transformer
Can I just say how much fun the wallet transformer is? I'm not c2w guy, and I like performing casually, so this gimmick is just absolutely grand.
Friday, June 14, 2013
I'm super excited!
I just found out today that there's an IBM ring right in my hospital!
That's right, not near the hospital.
At the hospital. More specifically, it's at the PM&R facility, which is neat (apparently there's some meeting halls?).
And it's the "Frank Garcia" ring which is cool! Better bust out those spongeballs again...
Now I don't really have an excuse to not join IBM. But I do have an excuse to bring along magic props to the hospital now!
That's right, not near the hospital.
At the hospital. More specifically, it's at the PM&R facility, which is neat (apparently there's some meeting halls?).
And it's the "Frank Garcia" ring which is cool! Better bust out those spongeballs again...
Now I don't really have an excuse to not join IBM. But I do have an excuse to bring along magic props to the hospital now!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
A short review
I have purchased only 1 download from Ellusionist before (Mirror Force by Patrick Kun, very good force for those who love the Hofzinser), and today I purchased 2 more. One was good, one was bad.
Bebel - An Underground Legend:
This, surprisingly, was the bad one. At 15 dollars and the words "practical" I did expect more. Bebel, as we all know, is an effing amazing card magician. There's no question about that. Watch his videos and be amazed. He is incredible in the download as well, performing the 3 switches very smoothly. However, the first and the third require lapping, something I often do not do because I perform most of my magic standing and do not have a place to lap. The second switch, while good, is just the Macmillan switch. That should have been obvious to me from the start, but I thought it would be a different method. No, it's LITERALY the exact same method.
So on top of being unpractical to me and the second being a switch I already know and rarely use, the download clocks in at 9 minutes long, with the first 3 minutes being an introduction. That means each of the switches only gets about 2 minutes. There's no translations even though Bebel speaks in French (though, to be fair, you don't need the translation, everything is shown slowly).
Disappointing. 2 switches that use lapping, and a Macmillan switch.
Now, on the other hand....
Ollie Mealing's Control
This is fantastic. I enjoyed Mealing's first DVD (Card Constructions) and I took a lot away from it. This is his third production as far as I know and I was not disappointed. This DVD is 11 single card controls + 1 multiple card control. It clocks in at 25 minutes and does not have any sounds except some ambient music in the background (the last 10 minutes are interview material). It's nice because there is NO INTRODUCTION. It just goes straight to the controls and doesn't bullshit. The controls are smooth and fun to learn and most of them don't have angle issues and if they do they are very minor (like only from directly behind you) with the exception of Poison which has a problem on the immediate sides. I like Ollie's previous work, and this only helps cement him as a great magician. The only downsides are that some of the controls (namely 2-3 of them) may feel overly "flourishy" than some would like. The trailer is also cheesy as hell. But overall, this was a great purchase.
Bebel - An Underground Legend:
This, surprisingly, was the bad one. At 15 dollars and the words "practical" I did expect more. Bebel, as we all know, is an effing amazing card magician. There's no question about that. Watch his videos and be amazed. He is incredible in the download as well, performing the 3 switches very smoothly. However, the first and the third require lapping, something I often do not do because I perform most of my magic standing and do not have a place to lap. The second switch, while good, is just the Macmillan switch. That should have been obvious to me from the start, but I thought it would be a different method. No, it's LITERALY the exact same method.
So on top of being unpractical to me and the second being a switch I already know and rarely use, the download clocks in at 9 minutes long, with the first 3 minutes being an introduction. That means each of the switches only gets about 2 minutes. There's no translations even though Bebel speaks in French (though, to be fair, you don't need the translation, everything is shown slowly).
Disappointing. 2 switches that use lapping, and a Macmillan switch.
Now, on the other hand....
Ollie Mealing's Control
This is fantastic. I enjoyed Mealing's first DVD (Card Constructions) and I took a lot away from it. This is his third production as far as I know and I was not disappointed. This DVD is 11 single card controls + 1 multiple card control. It clocks in at 25 minutes and does not have any sounds except some ambient music in the background (the last 10 minutes are interview material). It's nice because there is NO INTRODUCTION. It just goes straight to the controls and doesn't bullshit. The controls are smooth and fun to learn and most of them don't have angle issues and if they do they are very minor (like only from directly behind you) with the exception of Poison which has a problem on the immediate sides. I like Ollie's previous work, and this only helps cement him as a great magician. The only downsides are that some of the controls (namely 2-3 of them) may feel overly "flourishy" than some would like. The trailer is also cheesy as hell. But overall, this was a great purchase.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Just...
The whole fiasco at the Green Monster about Ellusionist's CTG is just...lol. Just nothing but lol.
Nothing against the creator though, the Elegy Shift is friggen great.
Nothing against the creator though, the Elegy Shift is friggen great.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
David's Cull
I'm a huge fan of the cull and I use it as often as I can. I typically stick with the Hofzinser cull.
So when word on the street about the new David's Cull came out, I was very intrigued.
First off, a few things:
1) It's a really good cull. It is fairly angle-proof even from the bottom (assuming you're good at it).
2) The cull requires a cut at the end. This may or may not be a turn off for people. Personally I don't have this issue because the spectator doesn't see much except a bunch of cards going from one hand to the other, and so the cut just becomes what appears to be a standard cut at the end.
3) Because the cull requires a cut at the end, it is NOT as good as the Hofzinser cull for a single card (in fact, it is terrible for a single card control unless, perhaps, you want to palm out the card, in which case there is some solid application). I like David's Cull for a 4-of-a-kind that is being returned to the deck more than the Hofzinser because with one easy Elias-esque cut you'll end up with everything on top, and the cut can look like almost half the deck. For cards already in the deck, culling with a cut can also put them on top, but you're still adding a move for what should normally look like you just looked through the deck quickly.
4) The cull is most useful for separating the deck into half black and half red. It has fully replaced the Hofzinser for me when it comes to Ortiz's Oil and Water and Out of this Universe/Out of this World and tricks of that nature.
So there are upsides and downsides to this cull. I really enjoy it and I'm continuing to find ways to make it more natural looking when I cull a 4-of-a-kind. It's not technically demanding though some practice is still in order. For a full color separation it's hard to beat. For a single card it's pointless, though, so don't buy it for that if you think you're gonna just cull single cards (which doesn't make sense, why would you learn a cull just for single-card culls?).
Now if you want to learn the a regular mix between the Hofzinser/Roadrunner culls, yeah there are lots of resources, but the cheapest and easiest way to learn is Vanishing Inc's download. Yes, I have the Roadrunner cull. Yes, it is very good. Yes I also have all of Card College. YES, Card College is amazing. And YES YES YES I have studied the prayer cull from Marlo. However, this download is only 10 bucks, is really good instruction, clocks at around 50 minutes, and comes with some nice effects along with some new cull-centered sleights.
So when word on the street about the new David's Cull came out, I was very intrigued.
First off, a few things:
1) It's a really good cull. It is fairly angle-proof even from the bottom (assuming you're good at it).
2) The cull requires a cut at the end. This may or may not be a turn off for people. Personally I don't have this issue because the spectator doesn't see much except a bunch of cards going from one hand to the other, and so the cut just becomes what appears to be a standard cut at the end.
3) Because the cull requires a cut at the end, it is NOT as good as the Hofzinser cull for a single card (in fact, it is terrible for a single card control unless, perhaps, you want to palm out the card, in which case there is some solid application). I like David's Cull for a 4-of-a-kind that is being returned to the deck more than the Hofzinser because with one easy Elias-esque cut you'll end up with everything on top, and the cut can look like almost half the deck. For cards already in the deck, culling with a cut can also put them on top, but you're still adding a move for what should normally look like you just looked through the deck quickly.
4) The cull is most useful for separating the deck into half black and half red. It has fully replaced the Hofzinser for me when it comes to Ortiz's Oil and Water and Out of this Universe/Out of this World and tricks of that nature.
So there are upsides and downsides to this cull. I really enjoy it and I'm continuing to find ways to make it more natural looking when I cull a 4-of-a-kind. It's not technically demanding though some practice is still in order. For a full color separation it's hard to beat. For a single card it's pointless, though, so don't buy it for that if you think you're gonna just cull single cards (which doesn't make sense, why would you learn a cull just for single-card culls?).
Now if you want to learn the a regular mix between the Hofzinser/Roadrunner culls, yeah there are lots of resources, but the cheapest and easiest way to learn is Vanishing Inc's download. Yes, I have the Roadrunner cull. Yes, it is very good. Yes I also have all of Card College. YES, Card College is amazing. And YES YES YES I have studied the prayer cull from Marlo. However, this download is only 10 bucks, is really good instruction, clocks at around 50 minutes, and comes with some nice effects along with some new cull-centered sleights.
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