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Month: April 2017

Meet The Jack DVD – Jack Garcia

Meet The Jack DVD – Jack Garcia

Meet The Jack DVD – Jack Garcia
$30.00
http://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=59023

 

One of Murphy’s Magic latest offering is a DVD by Argentinean mentalist, Jorge Garcia. Here is the promo…

“Full Review Jorge Garcia, better known to many as “The Jack,” has performed and lectured in over 20 countries.

He’s a regular face on television in his native Argentina and has also performed at the world famous Magic Castle no less than 6 times!

On his first DVD, The Jack shares 8 of his favorite and most powerful Mentalism creations and performance pieces, including To Lovecraft, Jorge’s brilliant and acclaimed version of the classic Pegasus Page effect.

Each effect is performed in front of a live audience and later joined by Peter Nardi. They dissect and explain every effect in great detail back at the Alakazam studio..”.

Let me say first that, aside from the nice production values and should, I found Meet The Jack easy to watch and understand. English is not Jorge’s first language. Aside from an occasion or two, I didn’t have a problem understanding either the performance or the explanations. It was obvious Jorge has performed these effects many times, and his presentation reminded me of Kreskin and his almost non-stop conversational style.  Meet The Jack is almost three hours on one DVD…

Now, on to the Effects..

‘One Head’ is an effect described as one that.. ‘packs small but plays huge! A multiple prediction effect that’s a sure-fire winner!’.. I don’t think I’d be giving much away describing this as a one-ahead effect. But, I’m not going to tell you the method Jorge uses to get one-ahead. He only needs a small writing pad to scribble three predications.. a spectator to actually watch him do so, and an appreciative audience to applaud his efforts…

The next effect was ‘To Lovecraft’, and is a very original version of the Pegasus Page effect.
A book is opened to a random page by the spectator. After instructions from the performer, the spectator selects a word. Later, the performer not only reveals the selected word, but allows the spectator to verify the previously viewed page is no longer in the book.. but in an envelope in the performers hand. The pages match perfectly.. and the page in the envelope IS the actual page from the book. Jorge goes into great detail to explain how a special gimmick is constructed to enable the magic. The gimmick is not hard to construct and is more time consuming than difficult. If you like book tests.. you’ll REALLY like this one and the gimmick that makes it possible.

‘L-Mental’ is a very good middle-of-the-act routine that uses three spectators and allows the performer to predict the outcome of a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors… three times! There’s nothing involved other than knowing a ‘method’. No pre-show or misses. It’s basically mathematical, and allows you to know who, in three different hands, beats who. Watching Jorge perform is extremely helpful as his routine is very polished.

‘Project Fear’ uses another self-constructed gimmick to divine a spectators deepest fear. The gimmick allows the performer to peek a word written by the spectator. Once constructed, you can use the gimmick to reveal anything written on a card, including words, numbers, credit card numbers, phone numbers and small drawings. Jorge describes this as ‘Psychometry with an envelope..’ Jorge’s version is based on the original routine “Pseudo Psychometry” by Theodore
Annemann, and Larry Becker’s “Sneak Thief”.

‘A Think and Stop Card Trick’ is one of my very favorites, partially because of my love of mathematical card tricks that look like real magic. There’s nothing complicated here, and it can be performed with any shuffled deck at a moments notice… In other words.. No set-up. At a certain point you must remember one card.. and all the ‘hard’ stuff is done. I will be using this one…. (The Jack calls this his ‘go-to impromptu effect…’)

‘Blindfold Act’, is based on  Al Koran’s ‘Koran’s Miracle Blindfold  Act.’ Jorge says.. ‘Please do not
dismiss this routine as just another blindfold act, or another card trick. It incorporates the genius of Al Koran, Tamariz and Daniel Celma!’.. What I appreciated was the performer is fully sightless throughout the effect.. and yet he is able to use his ‘mental abilities’ using two spectators and a deck of cards in increasingly more impossible phases. Although I’ve never performed a blindfold act, I’m going to give this one a try. You do need a very small gimmick, but it’s readily available to us all..

‘Mind Track’ was devised by Francisco Nardi and is a perfect effect for a small, intimate group. The performer allows the spectator to choose a card and lay it face down on a table. The spectator is furnished with a writing pad and is asked to freely scribble lines and circles on the page. After due diligence, the performer and the spectator examine the scribble, note certain highlights, and reveal a number and suit. Surprisingly, the scribble successfully reveals the identity of the spectators card. This effect is totally impromptu and has the potential to be a stunner.

‘Haunted Key’ is Jorge’s version of the classic haunted key. It’s not presented as a physical act, but as an emotional effect intended to have a lasting effect on an audience member. Strong stuff.

As an added bonus, Jorge’s DVD includes a printable PDF of the effects. I sincerely appreciate being able to open a PDF to double check a move instead of cutting on my computer, finding the DVD, loading it, and then finding the move. I wish everyone did this..!

I am now a fan of Jorge and gladly recommend his DVD for your purchase. If you are a mentalist, or contemplating developing a mentalism act.. there are effects on this DVD you would expect to pay for individually.. in most cases.  I paid almost the cost of the DVD for a similar DVD with the ‘secret’ to the Rock, Paper, Scissors effect.. I recommend MEET THE JACK ..

Available from all dealers carrying the Murphy’s Magic line of magic products.
$30.00
http://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=59023

MR LIFTO – A Review

MR LIFTO – A Review

MR. LIFTO – by Ryan Schlutz
Murphy’s Magic
$22.00

Created by Ryan Schultz and Big Blind Media, this virtually self-working effect is suitable for all skill levels. Here is the promo…

“MR LIFTO is a self-working slab of uber visual magic. A card is selected and lost in the deck. A heap of random cards are taken from the deck and piled up on the table. You gently rub your hands together to ‘generate some static charge’!

Then you place your hand on top of the stack of cards, and slowly, incredibly as you lift your hand upwards, THE CARDS ARE STUCK TO YOUR HAND!

There is no visible means of support – yet the cards are stuck. Suddenly the cards drop to the table. All except one. Their selection. Powerful, visual magic that is super easy to perform.

Comes with special gimmicks included. Just a grab a deck and you’re ready to go!
Simple setup that can remain in place all day, waiting for a chance to perform
No I.T. or complex setup
Super easy to perform”

First, it’s very safe to say the promo is very accurate. Your performance will be as described, which can be a rarity in todays world of magic. Everything you need to perform Mr. Lifto is provided, including almost 20 minutes of video instructions on DVD. I’m sure they could have stretched it out to 40 minutes.. but I appreciate that Ryan kept everything straight forward and simple.

You will generally need a table to perform Mr. Lifto. I do know that some performers will try to align the cards in a spectator’s hand, which isn’t impossible, but it’s probably a challenge that can be avoided. Other than a table and a deck of cards.. and the provided two gimmicks.. you’re set.

As with most effects, the ‘story’ is vital. Yes, you can place your hand on a stack of cards, say ‘watch’ and make it levitate… but who the heck wants to? Ryan has concocted a scripted effect that permits the simple gimmicks to perform way over their head. He not only utilizes the conventional pick-a-card routine, but brings the effect to a very successful conclusion by using a real natural force that the spectator understands, one that explains why the cards stick to his hand, but not how the spectators card is magically singled out from among the mashup..

If you think you know how Mr. Lifto works, you’re probably correct. There are no methods involved that will leave the magic world stunned and amazed.. But Mr Lifto isn’t intended to win FISM… It’s intended to entertain your audience, make them laugh, surprise them, and make them stick around for more.

Ryan teaches all the methods you’ll need to make everything work. The production values are very good, typical Big Blind Media, and you should have no problem performing Mr Lifto within 30 minutes of receiving it. For the money, it’s well worth the value -IF- you’ll use it and make it a part of your routine.

I would recommend it for street performances and walk around, assuming you have the surface. Restaurant work would be a very good presentation platform. Mr. Lifto is fun to perform and your audience will sense your enjoyment. A wise performer noted many years ago that when a performer smiles, the audience smiles back.. and when a performer enjoys his performance, the audience increases their enjoyment proportionally. Give Mr. Lifto a try… For $22.00 you can’t afford not to…

Available at dealers carrying the Murphy’s Magic line of quality products..
http://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=59069

Image result for mr lifto card trick

7 Epic Magician Rivalries…

7 Epic Magician Rivalries…

n the 2006 film The Prestige, Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale portray magicians in 19th-century London who go to great lengths to outdo one another on stage. While that was a fictional tale, it was undoubtedly inspired in part by the very real rivalries that have existed in the conjuring arts for centuries. Take a look at seven feuds where one party hoped the other could be made to just disappear.

1. HOUDINI VS. CIRNOC

In August 1900, legendary escape artist Harry Houdini began a two-week run at London’s famed Alhambra Theatre. Just minutes into his first show, a magician known as Cirnoc bellowed from the audience that he, not Houdini, was the “original” king of handcuff escapes. Fearing he might lose his audience to the publicity-seeking Cirnoc, Houdini made a quick escape from a notoriously difficult pair of handcuffs that didn’t allow the wearer to reach the keyhole. He then challenged Cirnoc to do the same, offering him $500 if he succeeded.

The upstart failed, and he was sheepishly forced to acknowledge Houdini’s superiority before leaving the stage. Cirnoc, whose real name was Paul Conrich, died just three years later. Read more…

http://mentalfloss.com/article/93828/7-epic-magician-rivalries