Eclipse by Eric Jones from Theory11

So I'm tooling around on Theory11 looking to get my magic fix, looking for a download and I watch the preview clip for Eclipse and I has to have it. It just seems so me. So I get it, didn't cost much, 6.95 for a 25 minute video from a respectable artist of an awesome looking utility move. I'll be honest I got it mostly for the color change. It is listed as an intermediate skill level which I felt I could handle. I had a little trouble down loading the almost half gig file. But that was more a fault of my modem.

The first thing I notice is that Eric Jones is left handed. After the explanation starts I see why its rated intermediate skill level, it requires a whole new grip, a sort of modified mechanics grip with two fingers on the top edge. Its very awkward at first and it's one of two problems I have with the move. Now I have to decide how I want to handle this. Do I want to shift into and out of this grip when I want to do this move, do I make this my full time grip, or not use this move? I may give the second option a go. The other thing is this move requires slick cards which means that at a certain point a deck will be too worn out to use this move well, which means I may not be able to use it with borrowed decks. It also means I can't practice with a beat up old deck. Other than those two things I'm a big fan of Eclipse. Eric Jones does a very good job of explaining everything and his tips and the end are invaluable.

I've been playing with this for a few days and I like it, I'm going with the shift into and out as needed route and I think I have a good effect cooked up using it.

If you found this review to helpful or you thought it sucked let me know in the comments section.

Smash by Hugo Luccioni

http://www.theory11.com/wire/hugo-luccioni/smash/

At the above link you will find a free download of Smash by Hugo Luccioni (Hopefully who knows if it will still be there by the time you find this post) Smash is a very visual two phase sandwich-esque effect. Presented in a very smooth musical fashion. I don't know if I will learn this effect or if I do that it will ever make it into repertoire but the reason I am reviewing this effect is because of the explanation. The explanation is done in the same wordless flowing fashion as the performance. Its just so artistic. I don't know that I want to see many explanations like it. But I do like that the art of the performance was carried over to the part not meant for non-magicians to see.

I'd like to see...

Ok whenever I watch a instructional video and the magician is not using rider backs I'd like it if he would just mention what deck he is using.

Update: Stigmata in use.

So I used Stigmata at a party I was at, due to a flub in the card force  method(I just did a different card effect than I intended) I had to go the peek method. I don't care much for the peek routine because the participant could pick a name with a really hard to do initial like a 'C' but their handwriting could be poor and the name could be weird. All of which happened to me but it went OK. I peeked and saw all that and just grabbed the first initial cause that's technically all I needed for the effect and I couldn't make out the rest. One bit of interesting was that the participant saw more than I revealed, apparently the person's last name started with a "B" and she saw that forming too.

Stigmata by Wayne Houchin from Ellusionist

So what did this cost me, nothing it was part of a prize pack from a contest. I think it cost like 30 bucks. What you get is a DVD in a very flimsy case. So the thing I like about this DVD is that the performances are in front of live people on the street. And after going over the how, they go back through the video of the street performances with voice over telling whats happening behind the scene. There is also some extra footage of live performances. And an interview with Banacheck. So what is Stigmata, at its most simple level its a reveal. What you get is three ways to set up for the reveal; one with cards, one with a peek, and one with a psychological force. Beyond this its up to you and your imagination. In addition to the reveal Wayne Houchin goes over the classic force and the Acidus Novus peek (Which is useful for so much more than just Stigmata)

In the video it appears that Wayne just walks up to people and just does Stigmata. I can't see my self doing it that way unless I knew my time was limited and I wanted to blow their minds right away. I'd either use this as a closer or as a transition effect. After doing a few regular effects I could see myself using this to transition to more heavy bizarre material after I'm sure I have them along for the ride. It starts in a familiar pick a card territory and slowly builds to bizarre.

I will say this like a lot of Wayne Houchin effects this one takes presentation. It does not work as a hey look what I can do. However if you think you have the acting skills to sell this effect and the character to support it I could see it being worth the $30. Personally I'm just happy walking away with the Acidus Novus peek but it was a free DVD for me.

If you found this review to helpful or you thought it sucked let me know in the comments section.

Gold Arcanes from Ellusionist

So I recently won a contest on the Ellusionist forums and the prize was a deck of Gold Arcanes and a DVD. Now I know the deck is very collectible but I'm more magician than collector and I opened them. I'll be honest it took some rationalizing and bargaining on my part but we all knew I was going to open them. I have never handled the regular Arcanes so I can't compare these to them but I like these cards. My first impression was one of surprise, I expected the gold to be more shiny, but instead its a muted matte gold that works really well. Being a brand new deck it handled really smoothly as to be expected. Its hard to say why but the gold really bring something to the cards especially the face cards. It saves them from a two toned hell. The Ace of spades is unique and it looks great, I like how the outline of the spade more hinted at than definite.The joker is some sort of summoning circle summoning a demon of sexiness. The second joker contains a reveal and its so subtle that I spent a minute looking at them side by side trying to find it before it hit me. And it freaking works. When I do a force and then simple reveal with that card people are so shocked that they grab the card from my hand it works so well. The last bit of fancy to them is a double backer which is kind of useless to me but it may come in handy one day.

Now for some of the cons, there's only one really this being a black deck even with the minimal use I've put it through there's a bit of chipping around the edges. I know this can be touched up with a sharpie if I thought of it as a problem.I don't see it that way though so as long as its only a question aesthetics I'll let my black decks chip. But if card manufacturers are going to make black decks they should use black cardstock.

If you found this review to helpful or you thought it sucked let me know in the comments section.

Secret uses for your favorite moves.

Sometimes I think being a card magician is synonymous with move-junkie. Honestly how many false cuts and card controls do you know? I know a few my self and am always on the look out for more. But I recently came to realize that true understanding come from using the same move over and over.

For example the Playboy cut which I learned for the Jacks to Backs DVD from Magic Makers. One of the few things I took away from that DVD. The Playboy cut is a rather flashy false cut. And I liked it for its flashiness, (for all you anti-florishers reading this, be quite, I don't want to hear it my character can handle the odd bit of flashiness) so learned and started using it. I liked it so much it became my go to cut. Any way on the DVD its taught as a simple false cut. But after months of play with it I have found another use. If I stop one move before completion I'm set up for my preferred force. And I was playing around with a control just now and I realized that if I start from a break I can use the playboy cut to bring the card to the top. I don't know if the guy on the DVD even realized these extra uses for the cut, but the point is while it's nice to know a lot of move. Its only through repeated use that they become truly useful.