Effortless Effects DVD by Ryan Schlutz

Title: Effortless Effects DVD

Author: Ryan Schlutz

Publisher: Big Blind Media

Price: $30

Effect: Card Magic without Sleights

Marshall's Thoughts: I have always been a fan of Ryan's work. We were one of the first to carry his book and continue to look forward to new release from Mr. Schlutz. This latest collection contains card effects that can be performed without sleights, and it is VERY good. Below are just two of my personal favorites.

Clearly See Through - A group of cards are selected from a spread. From that group the spectator selects a single card and the group of cards is dropped back into the deck as the magician dribbles it. For all intents and purposes, the card is lost. An 'invisible' card is placed on the table and the deck is shown face up. The selected card is now missing from the deck, effect number 1. You turn over the 'invisible' card on the table and announce the name of the spectator's card, effect number 2. The spectator takes the invisible card, turns it face down and mimes putting it into the face up deck. You spread the cards and one card is face down. Spectator turns it over and it is their card, effect number 3. Easy to do and will fool you.

Split Decision - A card is selected and returned. The magician then performs a reading based on body language to find the card. Ryan's presentation for this is great and can be used in any type of "reading" effect done tongue in cheek. The audience might just believe it is real as well.

Wrongly Convicted is another great effect along the lines of Dunbury Delusion. The hands off appearance of most of these effects is what makes them foolers.

Card workers will love the section on Ryan's GAP principle. This is a great principle with many uses. This selection procedure looks incredibly fair and the selection appears genuinely lost. Very good tool to have in your arsenal. 

Ratings:

Will I Use It (1=Put it in the drawer 5=On Me All the Time) - 5 .... I will use this all the time. I have already added three routines to my repertoire. Great presentations with fooling effects. 

Chocolate Coin by SansMinds

Title: Chocolate Coin

Author:

Publisher: SansMinds

Price: $30

Effect:  Here is the effect. You borrow a coin. With the coin held at the finger tips, you remove the silver covering of the coin to show a chocolate coin underneath. You take a bit out of the chocolate coin and then seemingly blow and visually restore the chocolate coin. You then roll the silver back over the chocolate coin and hand the borrowed coin back to the spectator. It really looks that good. 

Marshall's Thoughts: Every now and then, someone comes along and adds context and meaning to a classic magic trick. Sans Minds has done just that with their release of Chocolate Coin.

  The bitten coin has been popular ever since David Blaine, bit and restored a coin on one of his specials. Let's be honest, it is a great trick, but why do that? Who really bites a coin? When would you bite into a coin?  Well, you would if it was one of those chocolate coins we all knew and looked forward to when we were children.

  You get everything you need to perform, along with a few replacement parts in case the gimmick breaks. The gimmick looks just like a chocolate coin when held at the fingertips. The handling is not difficult and the required actions needed to perform the effect are perfectly covered by the natural actions needed to act like you are doing what you are purporting to do. In other words, this looks just like it should.

   Borrow object, manipulate it, restore it to original state, hand it back. You can't ask for more.

Ratings:

Setup (1=Minimal 5=Arts and Crafts)- 2 ...Everything is ready to go. You just have one small thing to do to the gimmick with an item that is provided in the package. It take 30 seconds to do. 

Reset (1=None 5=Hide in a bathroom)- 2 ... The trick is pretty much reset once you are done. You might just want to take a quick look before performing it again to make sure everything is set. 

Fool Factor (1=It's in your hand 5=What the ?#$)-  4 ... this is going to hit hard. Watch the demo video. It looks that good. 

Difficulty (1=Easy to Master 5=Grow an extra finger)-  2 .... You are going to be switching coins, obviously, so you will need to be comfortable with basic coin sleights.

Will I Use It (1=Put it in the drawer 5=On Me All the Time)-  4... This now on my tray of things to put in my pocket on a regular basis. Easy to do, easy to setup and reset and will fool the garbage out of someone. 

POCKET

Title: Pocket

Author: Julio Montoro

Publisher: SansMinds

Price: $30

Effect: Pocket allows you to visually change a card or bill, while isolated in your breast pocket with half the card in view. The effect as taught is as follows. You hand a spectator a double blank card to examine. You retrieve the card and place it in the breast pocket of your jacket with half the card sticking out. A card is selected and returned to the deck, at which point you pretend that you can not locate the card. You point to the blank card in your pocket and boom!, the card changes into the selection. It really looks like the card changes in front of their eyes. 

Marshall's Thoughts: First off, this looks like a camera trick. Pocket is a trick you will set up and play with in front of the mirror. The change is that visual. 

    The DVD is well shot and everything you need to setup the trick is included. The teaching is adequate, and I was able to construct everything without any hassle.  The instructor on the DVD is  little over the top, which can get old after awhile, but he does do a great job of teaching the material. 

    You will have to wear a jacket for this effect, so if that is not something you are willing to do, cross this off your list. The gimmick can be left in the pocket and will not be seen, so you can have this ready to go in your jacket whenever you need it. 

    There are so many ways to use this gimmick. Change a blank card, use it as a color change, change a bill, the possibilities are endless  I can recommend this to any walk around performer who wears a jacket as the reset is minimal. For the hobbyist, you can have this in your coat ready to go for whenever you want to use it. If you wear a jacket, buy Pocket. If you don't wear a jacket, buy a jacket first, and then buy Pocket. 

Ratings:

Setup (1=Minimal 5=Arts and Crafts) - 3.... You will have to do some DIY work, but it doesn't take long and you only have to do it once.

Reset (1=None 5=Hide in a bathroom) - 2..  There is a quick reset that can be done during the reveal of the selected card. 

Fool Factor (1=It's in your hand 5=What the ?#$) - 3... I do think that if someone watched this two or three times, they would have to know where the card is coming from. However, the change is so visual and happens so quickly that no one is going to guess the method from one viewing.

Difficulty (1=Easy to Master 5=Grow an extra finger)- 3 You will need to practice to get the change to work with minimal finger movement.. There is a force that must be applied by one of your hands and if it is to hard, there is a certain giveaway that can be seen. The knack is easily acquired though. You will also need to know some basic card sleights to put a routine together.

Will I Use It (1=Put it in the drawer 5=On Me All the Time) - 3 As stated before, those who wear a jacket can have this ready to go and use it whenever they want. That being said, a huge majority of the people who buy this will not put in the 15 minutes of setup required. 

Master Course in Sponge Balls Vol. 1-4 by Daryl REVIEW

   Love them or hate them as a magician, you have to realize that lay audiences are fooled and entertained by sponge magic. I remember the feeling I felt when I saw someone perform the sponge balls for the first time. I was in Houdini's Magic Shop in Vegas and I watched a demonstrator vanish a ball and it appeared in a spectator's hand. I was floored. Even if you never perform them, sponge ball magic is like cups and balls. The lessons you learn as you put together a routine, will serve you well as you grow in your magic. Misdirection, audience control, naturalness, all of these and more will become part of your repertoire as you study sponge ball magic. This new DVD set by Daryl is THE place to learn magic with sponges.
    The set stars Daryl, who is, to me, one of the best teachers in magic. He has real world experience and is the 'real deal' when it comes to performing for lay people. Throughout the set, Daryl teaches, not only sponge ball magic, but tips on magic in general. Whether a newbie to magic, or a pro, you will find at least one thing on this set that you can add to your knowledge base.
       The four discs cover overlapping information. For instances, most of the DVDs have a section on Vanishes. The information is not duplicated across discs and the volumes do not need to be viewed sequentially. Daryl covers effects and moves by  Fred Kaps, Frank Garcia, Mark Leveridge, Dan Garrett, Pat Page, John Carney and more. Credit is given to each creator.  I can't go into detail on everything that is covered, so I will do a quick highlight reel.
       On Volume 1: keep your eyes open for a production of a sponge ball between the hands by mark Leveridge.
      On Volume 2: Ball from Spectators coat with a killer subtlety by FLIP. Peter Samelson's method for sawing a ball in two.
      On Volume 3:  Cleaning and caring for your sponge ball. Daryl's routine for the sponge rabbits, "Pappa Rabbit Hits the Big Time," is worth adding to your repertoire. Daryl also teaches a great Benson Bowl routine.  There is a routine called FLIGHT OF THE SPONGE BALL on this disc that fooled me.
      On Volume 4:  Balls from mouth is a great comedy bit. John Carney's single ball production looks like the ball just appears between your fingers.

The Master Course in Sponge Balls by Daryl is probably the best resource out there when it comes to learning about sponge magic. He has collected routines, vanishes and productions from sources both new and old. I enjoy collections like this that show the possibilities that exist with a certain prop and then allow the magician to piece together his own routine. A highly recommend this set. The best part is, it's relatively cheap!