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IMAGINATION BOX – by Oliver Pont

IMAGINATION BOX – by Oliver Pont

IMAGINATION BOX, by Oliver Pont, is a unique utility device for magicians. I’ve got a lot to say… and a wide range of thoughts. The device itself is nothing but a card box.. but it is a highly prepped card box that offers you a wide range of possibilities. First, I’m going to quote the ad copy.. and then give you my take on both the copy and the device itself.

“Think outside the box by transforming one object into another, making items appear or disappear at any time, change a bill value, turn a drawing into reality and more!”

I can’t argue with this. You can take the box and make items appear, seemingly out of thin air. You can also use a piece of drawing paper (provided) to make reveals or fulfill predictions. Unlike many effects that are designed for specific situations, a creative performer can develop many uses for the Imagination Box and personalize it in ways that might make him or her the only magicians around performing in that particular way. Flexibility. Perhaps that’s a good way to describe it. Like an Okido Box, for example, you are free to use it in any way space and size allows. Coins, cards, small objects, pictures, business cards.. any of these items, and many more, can be vanished or produced.

“I am impressed and very pleased with all the possibilities..” quote from a well known magician.

Can’t disagree at all. Just as you can vanish and produce many different type items from gimmicked magical props, you can do the same with Imagination Box.. with an exception – You can actually produce items that appear too large for a card box. One of the ads show a cherry and stem being produced.. and yes, that’s possible. The methods and moves are taught, and once the concept is understood, you do have many, many possibilities.

“Discover an endless flow of creative possibilities!”

Like I mentioned earlier, the creative magician will have his hands full with all the possibilities. I don’t say this lightly.

Now, the one potential downside. I differ from some magicians. I am not a big fan of DIY effects. I understand that a great deal of time and effort can go into developing an effect. And way more time and effort can go into actually making the effect marketable. Time and effort means money and increased cost. You must assemble Imagination Box yourself.. and it is not something you can do in a couple of minutes. All the directions are included. It’s not that it’s particularly hard.. it’s time intensive.. and I don’t have the patience I once had. Maybe that’s my fault, and I’m certainly NOT laying blame here, because I don’t view it that way.. I’m just more of a straight-out-the-box kind of guy. I would have paid ten dollars more for a finished version.. but that’s me.

Building it yourself gives you a thorough understanding of the working and enables you to tweak and repair anything that happens. I know some of you prefer this, and don’t view this as a negative. I wouldn’t let this stop me from purchasing Imagination Box.

Everything you need to build the device is included.. except the card box. You furnish the box. The instructions are easily understood and are available online. I encourage you to go to Murphy’s site and watch the video. It’s a very good representation of what’s possible. ( .. and I’ll tell you this .. the hand holding the box DOES remain totally stationary. The ‘magic’ happens in a fraction of a second.)

Once the device is constructed, any level of performer can use it. You’ll need a quick bit of practice to perfect the handling, but it’s not a consideration.

If you like this type of in-the-hand productions, and I do, you’ll like the possibilities Imagination Box presents.. Available from dealers who carry the Murphy’s Magic fine line of magic products.
Cost.. $29.95

https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=61365

Review by Rick Carruth

Quidnunc Plus – A Review

Quidnunc Plus – A Review

Quidnunc Plus – Paul Gordon

Paul Gordon’s latest release is a two DVD set titled.. QUIDNUNC PLUS. Many of you know Paul from some of his past works, including The Gold Dust Trilogy, Quidnunc and Article 52. DVDs include Live In Action, Gold Dust Live 3-DVD set and Quidnunc Plus 2-DVD set. Plus, lecture downloads with Penguin Live and Murphy’s Magic At The Table Experience. Plus, Paul has lectured at virtually every major magic venue and convention in the world. To quote Magicpedia:

“Paul Gordon is noted as one of the best entertainers (with cards) in the business. As an entertainer/magician, he performs on a regular basis all over the world. Among other magicians, Paul Gordon is known for his books on card magic and memoirs of other magicians (Edward G. Brown, Percy Naldrett and Victor Farelli), as well as reprints of out-of-print classics by Ralph Hull, Rusduck, Ed Marlo, Stanley Collins and Eddie Joseph.”

“Paul Gordon’s performance, books, tricks and dvds have received critical acclaim from the likes of Boris Wild, Rafael Benatar, Dan Harlan, Jon Racherbaumer, Jamy Ian Swiss, Peter Duffie, Harry Lorayne, Jim Sisti, Aldo Colombini, David Regal, Stephen Minch, Max Maven, Tom Craven, Alan Shaxon, Walt Lees, J.C Wagner, Shawn Farquhar, Nick Trost, Mike Powers, Roy Walton, J.K Hartman, Paul Green, Paul Hallas, Jack Parker, Bob Sheets Alex Elmsley, Jack Avis, Steve Beam and many others.”

quid·nunc (ˈkwidˌnəNGk) noun – “..an inquisitive and gossipy person.”.

This release includes 22 effects of varying degrees of difficulty. Only one of the effects is what I would call Advanced, a couple are self-working, a couple more are mathematically inclined, not obviously, and most are what can fairly be called intermediate to advance intermediate. Paul uses these effects to make a living, so they have to be proper.. but not such knuckle busters as to cause pain and fear. There’s a lot of double lifts and Elmsley Counts.. a few top changes in moderation, and a palm or two. But, most of the effects are performable after a small amount of practice by the average card guy.

To quote Murphy’s Magic.. “There are strollers, table tricks, packet tricks, cabaret tricks, unusual tricks… and all are strong tricks.” I have to totally agree. If you’re looking for something new.. but proven.. QUIDNUNC PLUS is it…

Disc 1.. 1:25 minutes

Jeepers Creepers on Heat – Five Ten of Spades magically changes to a Royal Flush, and.. the all black backs change to five different backs. Everything can be made up yourself. This is one of two effects on disc#1 that are normally sold by Penguin individually for $25.00 each.

Dudeney’s Baby Boy – Based on a principle from Colombini, a series of cards are intermixed up and down, laid on the table, reassembled per the spectator, and somehow the one face down card matches a prediction from the magician. Self working and interesting. I actually saw Colombini perform a similar version years ago.. and then forgot it. So glad to be reminded…

Ace in the Hole – The four Aces are separated red and black. Two are placed under the spectators hand and transform into all four Aces. This is one of several effects with the Aces, which helps keep your space small and your performance precise.

Balducci Aces #2 – Created for beginners, this looks like a more complicated effect. It’s a great way to introduce the four Aces, or any four of a kind, for your next effect. Uses a Balducci Force and a bit of business to produce the Aces.

Spectrum – Five cards of one suit and value appear to be double backers. They change to five cards with red backs.. and then to five cards with multi-colored backs. Uses the Omega Count, which is taught, and an Elmsley Count to accomplish something very magical. Penguin sells this effect singularly for $25.00

Travelling Light – Four of a kind are removed from the deck and signed by the spectator. After the four are given to a second spectator for safekeeping, one card appears in the performers trouser pocket.. another appears in the jacket inside pocket, and the last two appear in the jacket pockets. This is a very interesting bit of strolling magic, very commercial, and keeps you so far ahead of the spectator there’s little heat.

Easy Collectors Two – Another four Ace effect. The Aces are set on the table, the spectator freely selects three cards from the deck, and after everything is buried back into the deck… the three selections are found interwoven into the Aces. Based on a Marlo effect.

Darned Pain in the Neck – Looks like a spelling effect on steroids. It’s actually much more sophisticated than that and ultimately, surprisingly, turns into a four Ace reveal. Another of those effects that has considerable commercial value.

Workers Supreme – A Card to Wallet created around what appears to be a very simple effect. If you enjoy card to wallet you’ll appreciate this handling.

Perfect Prediction Premonition – A multiple stage effect that is one of my two favorites on disc one. (along with Dudeney’s Baby Boy). The explanation seems complicated, including two perfect faro shuffles, but Paul offers up a perfect alternative to eliminate the faro’s and make you a hero. Will have neophytes and magicians alike scratching their heads.

75% Confident – Four Jacks are revealed in a packet. When it seems as if four Tens are also going to be revealed.. the performer reveals a Royal Flush. I know.. my description is a tad weak.. but the effect isn’t. You have to see the video!

Disc 2 .. 1hr and 42 min.

Rising Damp – Three indifferent cards and a Jack of Spades changes to four Jacks, all of different suits, in the magician’s hands. Perhaps one of the more challenging effects in this series.. but well worth the effort to learn.

The Churchill Crown – A card is freely chosen by the spectator. The magi places a Churchill crown coin on top of the card, on the table, for safe keeping. The magi then looks through the deck and selects what he alleges to be a mate to the selected card. After stating that the mate to his selection is under the crown, it’s revealed to NOT be a mate… but a miniature mate is revealed in an unusual location instead. Then, suddenly and surprisingly, the indifferent card in the magi’s hand is revealed to be the real mate, producing a sudden surprise ending.

Bluff ACAAN – Sort of a cross between an ACAAN and a fooler. What appears to be an ACAAN is really a well-planned move. Easy to do, quick, and much easier than the real deal.

Dream Away – A non-gaffed version of the Dream Card effect. Paul uses a couple of well-taught sleights to change a signed blue back card in the deck into a signed red back card in the pocket.

The Ultimate Transposition – Based on Sadowitz’ ‘The More Things Change’. Four signed cards are placed in four pockets. Four other cards are shown, and using an Ambitious Cards type routine, the four cards on the table slowly change to the four cards in the pocket.. and the four cards in the pockets are shown to be the four former cards on the table. Another very commercial effect… not easy, but well worth your time and effort.

Ace Tumblers – A card is selected and returned to the deck. The four Aces are shown and returned to the deck. In an instant, the deck is spread and the four Aces are now face up in the center of the deck… and the face down card between the Aces is the selection. Another quick effect that gets everyone’s attention.

Tally-Ho Simplified – Based on the work of Harry Lorayne and a Henry Christ effect, and using Tally Ho cards, this mathematical based effect is self-working and seemingly impossible. Another of my favorites in this series of effects. Much easier to perform than the original and, in my opinion, almost as effective. Christ original produces a royal flush while Paul’s produces the four Nines.. but for a good reason, as explained on the DVD.

Unusual Method Oil & Water – Paul has created a packet effect using 8 red cards and 8 black cards, mixing them in typical oil and water fashion, letting the spectator shuffle the packet, and somehow reverting the packet to its original position. I like the thinking and the effect. Yes, it’s mathematical based.. but it plays real and looks real. Another of my favorites on disc #2.

Witch Mountain Revisited – Four Queens are shown and then placed on the table side by side. The spectator picks a Queen and it’s pushed forward of the other Queens. Three cards are placed on top of each Queen.. and as the packets are each shown, the Queen in that packet has vanished and appears in the forward packet. One Queen, then two, three.. and finally four magically transpose. Very visual effect and not as challenging as some effects. I have to say this, too, is one of my favorites.

Q & A – Several magicians ask Paul a variety of questions.. the most interesting of which is (to me) about his classic EASY ACES. He basically explains Easy Aces and demonstrates the moves. Although he doesn’t go into the same detail his commercial download provides, he gives enough information for the intermediate performer to grasp it. If nothing else, folks will appreciate this wonderful Ace assembly and its true ease of performing.
Paul also reveals he can remember the names of about 200 people.. in the same room, by using Harry Lorayne’s Memory System. His reasons for this bit of magic are obvious and true.
Are small hands a deterrent? Paul discusses his very small hands, and the fact he can’t perform deep palm work… and how he overcame it.
One of the more direct questions is.. “Can you make a living performing card magic?” I’m not going to reveal his answer, but his thinking is encouraging.

Paul makes a living performing card magic. Not many performers in the world can make that claim. Most have to perform a variety of magic and sell tons of effects to make a decent living. Paul’s different.. and his DVD is different. If you’re looking for several new effects to add to your repertoire, Quidnunc Plus provides them in spades.

Although I don’t usually.. I’m including a short promo video of Paul working in the real world, performing a couple of these effects to the delight of his audience. https://youtu.be/TZVSYKKs5bo .. This will give you an idea of Paul’s skill. Note the speed, which you couldn’t achieve if these were truly advanced effects. That’s not a negative statement.. but an affirmation of everything I’m trying to say.

Available from dealers who carry the Murphy’s Magic line of magic products.
$30.00 .. just over three hours in length.

https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=59191

Reviewed by.. Rick Carruth

Invisible Triumph – A Review

Invisible Triumph – A Review

Invisible Triumph (Gimmicks and Online Instructions)

Jim Krenz and Murphy’s Magic have created what we can fairly call.. ” The worlds easiest Triumph.” This new version was described as both..’virtually self working’ and designed for beginners. The first time I saw the video.. I couldn’t understand how it could be either.

I’m going out on a limb here and admit that I don’t review products I can’t speak good about. That may not sound like the best policy, but there are plenty of reviewers who love to bomb new products, and I don’t. Most magicians work very hard to get their products to market, and I enjoy talking about the positive aspects of magic. That said.. I have to say that thinking of good things to say about some products isn’t easy. It’s not that they’re bad.. it’s just that being ‘really’ positive isn’t easy. I am so grateful to Jim Krenz and Murphy’s Magic for making THIS review easy…

If you have a good, basic understanding of magic and card magic, you are familiar with Triumph. Cards are mixed.. some are turned the opposite direction and mixed again.. leaving the deck in a clearly jumbled state. Some cards are face up.. some cards are face down.. and ultimately, the cards are magically righted. Dai Vernon published a popular version. So did Bob Farmer, Daryl, Ron Bauer, Oz Pearlman and Marlo… to name a few. Theodore Deland published perhaps the first version way back in 1914. So, it’s safe to say Triumph has been around for over a hundred years.

Deland’s commercial version utilized a gaffed deck consisting of half the cards being double backers. From one side, the cards appeared to be alternating face up and face down. When the deck was closed and reversed all the cards were magically facing the same way. Nice, except you certainly couldn’t let the spectator get a good look at the deck.

Jim Krenz’s version is almost as simple. Really, if you spend a short time studying the online instructions.. (less than 20 minutes) you could perform his version straight out the box. I would recommend practicing a little, but we’re talking theoretical here. The cards are normal in appearance. They ARE prepared, making the final results possible, but you would not know they are prepared from looking at them.

The spectator is given a packet of about 12-13 cards and asks to select one. The spectator mixes the cards. The remainder of the deck is divided into three more packets.. and a second packet is mixed into the spectators packet both face up and face down. The two packet mix is spread on the table, showing both sides and showing a fair mix of up and down cards. The third packet.. and then the last packet.. are mixed up and down into the spectator’s packet. You can’t get more fair.

With a bit of magic and flair.. you spread the deck on the table… and show every card face up except one.. the card selected by the spectator. If you followed Jim’s instructions on the video, there is no need to show the deck at this point. The spectator has clearly seen both sides of the deck on at least two ocassions. I recommend going to the link at the bottom and watching a video to get an idea of the fairness of Invisible Triumph..

Two versions are taught in the instructions; a version using a forced card, and a second version using a card mentally selected by the spectator. The second version is totally impromptu, but the first version is perhaps a bit stronger, in my opinion. I recommend INVISIBLE TRIUMPH  to anyone who enjoys the Triumph premise and wants a super easy method of entertaining your audience.

You can buy the gimmicked deck and instructions from dealers who carry the Murphy’s Magic line of products. Cost.. $ 30.00

https://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=61099

Reviewed by: Rick Carruth

HOLE IN ONE – A Review

HOLE IN ONE – A Review

Hole In One – (DVD and Gimmicks) by SansMinds Creative Labs

HOLE IN ONE is one of the latest releases from SansMinds. I own several of the SansMinds effects and I can fairly say this is definitely one of the more visual of all their effects. You show a dollar bill, allow it to be examined, and state you are going to ‘change’ the bill… from a dollar to a quarter. Now, you don’t actually change it to a quarter.. but you DO give it a slight shake and watch as a hole suddenly appears in the center of the bill.. leaving a fully visible hole through the bill and a quarter in the hand of a spectator holding their hand below the bill.
Here is the sales copy…

” We honestly feel that good magic is magic that solves a problem. Modern magic is visual — people can not only see the magic happen, but it also visually puzzles them in a way where their minds simply can’t process the logic. Hole in One does all of this. It’s super easy to do, and waits in your wallet until you’re ready to blow their minds. A beautiful piece of visual magic that serves a purpose and answers an everyday question:
How do you break a bill?
With a Hole in One.”

I agree that modern magic is very visual. There is considerably less emphasis on sleight of hand and more on gimmicks and technology. HOLE IN ONE uses some of both. The dollar bill initially shown to the spectator is a normal bill, but not the one used to perform the magic. The DVD demonstrates a simple method for switching the bills.. one that beginners should master in short order. The performance of the effect is also something beginners should find very easy to perform as well. To get a good idea of the effect itself, I suggest clicking on the Murphy’s Magic link at the end of this review and watching the video. It will save me much explaining…

HOLE IN ONE comes ‘partially’ complete with everything you need.. including a gimmick and a 30 minute DVD of the performance and the secret. It does NOT come with the bills needed to construct the gimmick.. in this case, two $1 bills and a small portion of a third. It also does not come with the coin.. which could be a bit of a problem for some folks as the coin needs to be magnetic. I wish I could say the effect comes ready to perform.. but I can’t. It will be left to the user to construct the gimmick. I can guess one primary reason is so the purchaser can use any denomination and bills from any country. The directions are good and you ‘should’ be able to construct the gimmick without major problems, although it will require a little time and effort to get everything exact. Like most projects, some of you will breeze through the construction.. and some will take a little longer. I don’t consider this a deal breaker.. but I do want you to be aware the gimmick is a DIY.

The effect works much as it’s shown on the video. The hole appears very suddenly, the quarter is clean, and your audience will be quite surprised. You can perform it again after a very brief setup. You cannot allow close examination of the bill after the effect, but you can place the gimmicked bill in your pocket or wallet, and show an ungimmicked bill, with a hole, if the spectator asks..

Personally, I don’t shop at IKEA. I’m lazy. I don’t like putting furniture together. I like for my bed or dresser or whatever to be delivered to my home fully assembled.. or close to it. Then again, there are those who love to put together their essentials. If you don’t mind a little work, HOLE IN ONE will suit your purpose and give you an effect probably unlike anything else you’re currently performing.

Available at dealers selling the Murphy’s Magic line of products. $29.99

https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=60633

Reviewed by Rick Carruth