Cannibal, Kevin Reylek

Feeling peckish? Get your teeth into this!

Kevin has created a fantastic effect inspired from the classic cannibal card plot. To quickly sum up, a corner of a selected/signed card mysteriously vanishes, the magician explains that a cannibal card has taken a bite out of it and to prove this claim the cannibal is torn in half where inside the centre (the cannibals stomach) the missing corner is found! I really like this effect, the ending takes the spectators by complete surprise, thumbs up!

The effect requires some prep including a home-made gaff which is clearly instructed, however you may take some time to become sufficient with the technique involved, the good news is though -  once you've mastered the gaff, the effect is easy! No knuckle busting sleights or anything which you won't have already come across.

Included on the DVD are many live performances, extra handlings, nifty presentational ideas as well as anything else you might need to know - this makes for top notch release!

Overall this a very strong, practical and entertaining effect, there's a huge amount of single effect releases out there but this truly is one of the decent ones. Recommended.


Available at http://www.thebluecrown.com/store/tricks/cannibal-by-kevin-reylek.html

Card Trail, Cameron Francis

Cameron is a creating machine! I'm a big fan of his effects, which usually combine a light amount of work with a heavy dose of impact! 

This e-book isn't amongst my favourites of his releases - but that's mainly due to reading almost of all them, plus the fact that Cameron sets the bar incredibly high in his 'Moments Notice' series, worth checking out!

Still, there are some solid routines here that you will use, so lets get into it.

'Improbable Vs. Impossible' is the first trick taught and a fantastic trick too! Three packets of three are laid out on the table, 3 random cards are selected and each is placed in front of a tabled packet. The random selections once added to their chosen packets cause the other three cards to turn into their mates before ending with an surprising kicker ace production. This is brilliant! Maybe not the most practical effect for walk around as there is a little prep, but the effect is clean, progressive and entertaining.

'Out Of Pocket' is a bill and card transposition. I like the effect but for me, I found the handling used to change the card into the bill a bit weak - this might just be down to my laymen brain being mushed over the years, impairing my vision to see it from a 'real persons' perspective, but either way there's plenty of ways you could alter the handling to create a more striking change. I've also spoken to Dave Forrest about this change as he's seen Cameron do it in person and apparently it completely caught him, so I'll leave you to decide!

'Saving Ace' is an ace production/triumph plot, I thought this was OK but probably my least preferred item.

'Providence' for my mark, brings the e-book back on track, a neat transpo, sandwiching, vanishing, colour changing bundle of madness which is difficult to backtrack and of course effective, Thumbs up!

'Alien Nation' is a cool colour changing back routine with an unsuspecting finish that sees the whole deck change colour. I wasn't a massive fan of the presentation but horses for courses - or however the phrase goes... 

'The Just Enough Cut' is an in the hands false cut that retains entire deck order. Easy to do, flashy to a laymen and does exactly what it says on the tin, job done!

The explanations are all very well written, clear and well credited. Cameron has also made the effort to film each effect so that you can get a feel for each trick and see the notes come alive!

Overall this is a great a set of notes which is growing on me, if you haven't been introduced to Cameron's work before now, here's your chance! Thumbs up.

Available at http://www.cameron-francis.com/Card-Trail.php

Falling Elevator, Bizau Vasile Cristian

Ever seen Ray Kosby's raise-rise, well it's like that only in reverse and performed slow-mo, it looks awesome!

The handling is fairly easy and quick to pick up - and is really quite addictive too! A negative is that the production isn't on par with most Paper Crane releases, resulting with some angle and description aids to be non-existant, therefore there are a few blanks which rely on those at an intermediate level to fill in.

Bizau also offers an additional presentation utilising the 'Choke Sleight' which enables you to execute the kicker in a greater magical manner. The added sleight will require some extra work, but in my opinion this creates a much more pleasing finish and gives you more bang for your buck!

Overall this is a beautiful move which unlike raise rise is far easier! The production lets it down somewhat but on the whole I would recommend this, thumbs up!

Available at http://www.papercranemagic.com/fallingelevator.htm

Shootout, Adam Dadswell

Shootout is a visual one handed pop-out move performed on the table.

The pdf is quite detailed, all explanations are adjoined with pics and Adam points out intricate points to address. On the whole the pdf is well written, possibly a bit lengthy at times but I spose it's better to be sure than sorry!

On to the move, how does it look? I've seen Adam use this, he handles the deck loosely and naturally which results with a sudden production as there's no apparent dodginess preceding the pop-out, so to sum up - it does look magical!

Next up the handling. Again there's not a huge amount going on here - which is why the production takes you by surprise. Securing position for the pop-out is quite variable, there's many methods you can use depending on skill level and preference. The pop-out it's self is a gentle move but quite knacky, you'll probably have to explore with different pressures to find the right actions for you but this is definitely learnable in a relatively short space of time.

How practical is it? This definitely has it's limitations but once your in the right setting, the move is fairly angle proof and eye catching, never the less I can't imagine this getting huge reactions without an involving presentation.

Adam also goes into some routines with some guest ideas from Nathan Hickey. Some OK thoughts here, but for me the move works best as single card production rather than a utility move within a routine.

Overall this is a cool move which you'll have fun toying with, regarding it's value to a worker I don't feel this is of huge worth but  fun move for the monkey! Thumbs up.


Available at http://www.adamdadswellmagic.com/magicians-only.html

As Brass, Alan Rorrison

I see Alan as Scotland's answer to Calen Morelli, a young creative chap who probably does churn out an idea for every day of the year.

Here we have a wee bundle of go-to tricks, taken from Alan's 'on person at all time' repertoire, suffice to say these only consume a wee bit of pocket space - sorry, I shall stop trying to sound Scottish! Alan is a thorough teacher and a dab-hand with the camcorder - this isn't a 1080 HD production with flashy title menus and funky music, but it's coherent and gets the job done! Music would have been nice though.. I'm joking!

Prepare to be armed with lethal weapons - which you can carry on your person legally!

'Bodies in Flight' is a nifty borrowed ring to necklace routine, crazy cool concept, easy peasy handling, thumbs up!

'Misery Business' is a signed card to impossible location effect, nice theory but I'm not a fan of carrying additional props or sacrificing cards, this is a great method though with some useful self-serving presentational ploys.

'Full Metal Jacket' is a bottle cap bend, I think I need to see this to appreciate the audience impact - better still I'll try it out, shall let you know how it goes on the 'MRB' Facebook page. Again, a streamlined method and uses a conventional item so worth learning.

'Ace wave' is an ultimate prediction effect, spec names an ace which turns out to be the only face up card in a tabled packet, the ace is shown to also have a different back and if that wasn't enough for the already weak at the knees audience, you reveal that the other three cards are jokers - call 999! I love these type of tricks, your covered for all scenarios which for a laymen makes this impossible to backtrack. To avoid having to carry extra cards I'm going to use queens instead of jokers, I'll miss out on the back design phase but the remaining two are still so strong that you'll get away labelling yourself as the devils right hand man - and that folks is cool!

Finally were introduced to 'Chipped', a visual removed and restored credit card chip trick. If we learn one thing from this effect, it's don't give Alan your credit card! Seriously though this cool 'Dynamo' magic with a canny method, thumbs up!

Overall this is a decent set of notes at a wee price. Recommended.

Available at http://www.alanrorrison.com/asbrass.html

Card Magic USA, Peter Duffie

Here we have a large collection of fantastic material from (as you may have guessed) American magicians!

There's a great deal of gold here, from sleights and routines to subtleties and ideas - you really will take a lot away from this e-book.

Because there's so many contributors, 49 to be precise and some BIG names might I add, you get a lot of different styles and approaches in the teaching of the effects, which helps to keep the explanations fresh and interesting - also very handy if your currently wondering how to write your own explanations, lots of tips to be learnt!

There really were a mass of things that I took from this, too many to talk about - but take my word for it, you will use a lot of these creations. The material ranges in skill level, plots, commerical value and practicalness - something for everyone!

Overall I really enjoyed reading this, worthwhile read for all students of magic, thumbs up! Recommended. 

Available at http://www.peterduffie.com/

TSC Sessions, Justin Miller

This a varied collection of moves and effects, all of which are sleight of hand based.

There's some pretty neat ideas here, lets start with the 'drop change', this is a visual colour change which appears to happen as the card falls from one packet to another, easy to do and looks magical, nice.

The 'sick control' is a slightly knackier move used to deceptively switch cards during an in-transit motion.

'Doppleganger control' is a one handed technique to display a card supposedly in the centre, might take some practice but I like this, convincing.

The 'silky change' is sweet! It looks incredible and there are so many ways of going about it, one of the best items on the download, thumbs up!

'Eclipse' is a nice card & coin transpo which I'm definitely going to start using.

'Abyss change' is a very open colour change which in JM's hands looks great, I'm still struggling with this one a bit but I think it's worth the time and effort, so shall keep going!

'Conviction' is an awesome colour changing torn card - a selection is lost in deck, the corner from an X card is ripped off, visually you change the X card into the selection and the torn off corner also changes (in specs hand!), the two pieces fit together and boom you've got yourself a screaming crowd! Strong stuff! I'd say this routine alone is worth the asking price, it's easy to set up, simple handling and extremely high impact, thumbs up!

So that's my highlights, there's some other effects, one of which is '4 on da floor' which I've already reviewed and the others I thought were OK.

The cons! The download appears to be shot on a mobile phone - this makes the quality fairly poor, you can still learn from it, but leads to some light and audio issues.

Overall I felt the production was poor, but magic-wise it does contain some decent material. 

Available at http://www.justinmillermagic.com/apps/webstore/products/show/2212203

Smile, Justin Miller

JM is back!

I've already used this a few times and it kills! Easy to do, huge impact and a brilliant alternative to the classic signed card souvenir - no sacrifices!

The effect is simple and direct - a selection is lost in the deck, an indifferent card is held onto by the spec, you take a photo (on their phone) of them holding the wrong card, you visually change the card into their selection and show that the card in the photo has also changed, powerful!

The handling is super easy and the psychological aspects are quite interesting, they play a crucial role in the effect.

Overall this is a trick which you'll quickly get to grips with and stun! Thumbs up!


Available at http://www.justinmillermagic.com/apps/webstore/products/show/2282293

Alchemy, Ben Seidman

If you've seen the trailer for this and wasn't amazed then I would seriously like to see the tricks which do!

Ben Seidman comes across very well and is enjoyable to learn from. He teaches the moves involved with extensive detail and also includes some entertaining history on the effect as well as tons of extra notes on angles, what to practice, what to be aware, further coin magic resources etc etc - matched with Theory11 production the result is exquisite, now there's a fancy word!

So on to the handling, this scared me a little. The method is badass! And as a result you will have to work at this a hefty amount before you can even consider road testing. But as I said before, the works are fully tipped so there's no reason why shouldn't be able to get this down.

Is it workable? Ben's been using it successfully for the past four years so yes it is, but you are required to be careful of your angles - this can't be done surrounded.

Overall I think the effect is awesome but will demand a lot of patience. So should you 'add to cart', well If your looking to add an open, visual, gimmickless and wonderfully seamless coin vanish to your rep, then go for it! Thumbs up!

Available at http://www.theory11.com/tricks/alchemy-ben-seidman.php

Twitch, Eric Simmatis

Twitch is a super visual colour change which looks awesome. Firstly you produce a card and openly you change it at light speed into another.

Eric teaches the move thoroughly and Theory11 production is outstanding! - nothing to fault at all.

The move itself isn't too hard to pick up, but to perform Twitch as fast as Eric is going to take some consistent practice. I have to say I really like the technical aspect of this move, clever mechanics.

Overall a sweet move and exceptional production. Recommended.

Available at http://www.theory11.com/tricks/twitch-eric-simmatis.php

Function 9, Calen Morelli

This DVD set has already had many rave reviews so I thought I'd add another one!

These discs are packed with some of the freshest, ingenious material to date! I've really been impressed by Calen's ability to take on such impossible plots and solve them with his off the wall thinking. Taken from his working repertoire the material has been tried and tested, lets take a look.. 

'VGH' is inspired by Paul Harris's grasshopper effect. There's so much magic going on here I'm going to simplify the description of this effect to just one sentence - signed card to impossible location followed by multiple transpositions. The first phase (card to impossible location) has a beautiful magnetism presentation which I think builds to the climax brilliantly. The second phase is cool, maybe a bit tricky to follow for laymen but definitely some nice ideas you'll want to try out. For me phase one is the gold in this trick, lovely jubbly!

'Pen in Bottle' (self explanatory) is insane! Calen introduces both these objects from his shoe which again helps to cram as much magic possible in to one performance. The trick relies on an interesting principle and some sleight of hand - the method is quite demanding in terms of requirements but everything Calen uses can be sourced/made yourself. I also really like Calen's idea to allow everything to be examined at the end, thumbs up!

'Transport' - you swap mobile phones with your spectator and wrap an elastic band around their phone, in an instant you cause it to vanish and appear wrapped around your phone in their hand! This trick is just awesome! Method wise you do need a gimmick (I haven't tried making it) which looks simple enough to construct and is likely to last a long time. Handling-wise this shouldn't set you back too long and as the performance clips show, this trick has serious impact!

'Suspended' is a WTF trick. Essentially you cause a rubber band to be momentarily suspended in mid-air. A super sneaky method and probably the most visual use of a particular marketed item I've seen.

'Loaded' is an impromptu card under a shoe routine with a deck kicker. I'm a card freak so I loved this. The misdirection is choreographed perfectly and the handling is well within the amateurs grasp. Calen also teaches his method for a centre double which is OK but didn't really grab me - this was effectively a bonus item so I shouldn't moan! So a very strong, workable trick, good stuff.

'Friction' looks awesome - you penetrate a rubber band through a cash note several times. Really clever thinking.

'Sugar free' uses a home made gimmick to allow you to show a chewing gum packet (the Trident gum type) and visually cause a gum to vanish from the packet and appear in your mouth instantaneously. The gimmick to me seems like a lot of work for a very short effect that can't really lead into anything else, but as a one off effect it's super visual and fooling.

'Transit' is a jumping rubber band routine causing the band to hop from one finger to the next etc. This was my least favourite effect as I just felt that the actions are suspicious and non-magical.

Overall this DVD set is full of great ideas and interesting methods which Calen explains well and includes regular reference to tips and subtleties he's gained through experience. The production is of course superb from paper crane - nothing to fault there. Whether you'll want to go and use all these effects I'm not sure, some are going to take a lot of time and preparation which may put you off, but the bottom line is if you do make the effort to learn these effects your guaranteed to astound. Recommended.

Available at http://www.papercranemagic.com/

4 On Da Floor, Justin Miller

Justin Miller is back with a deceptive 4 for 4 switch. What I like about this switch is that the cards to be switched out are completely and cleanly separated from the deck until the final second, the faces are in full view until the very last moment. Your now of course ready to proceed straight into an effect, there's nothing to clean up after the switch. 

Difficulty wise you shouldn't have any problems here. The production is also improved in this release so you can fully comprehend how the handling works. 

Justin also teaches a nice retention of vision subtlety which neatly conceals an add on technique. Also mentioned is how to use this switch for just a single card - this is probably the application I'll use the most.

Overall this is a nice practical switch that eliminates any difficult moves usually associated with 4 for 4 switches. Thumbs up!

Available at http://www.justinmillermagic.com/apps/webstore/products/show/2284568

Dante's Peek, Justin Miller

What we have here is two different methods to peek a card (one of which isn't original) which Justin uses simultaneously to create the Dante's peek - a sequence of two peeks.

The first peek is a well constructed idea that combines Milt Kort's dribble peek with a neat switch concept, so it's essentially an impromptu force. Easy to do and seems very fair, I like it. The second peek is a force, which I believe to be Ed Marlo's 'Fingertip Peek Force' from Revolutionary Card Technique, this is however credited to Chris Korn as being based on his impromptu short card principle - I'd be grateful if anyone can tell me the exact credit. So anyway, this is still another great easy sleight and fairly underground too.

Personally as a sequence I don't think they flow too well - this obviously won't be considered from a layman point of view but from a magician perspective your basically just executing two very different moves - however they are both very decent and worth knowing moves.

Justin doesn't use any controls after the spectators have seen their selections, but you could easily incorporate some if preferred.

The teaching is understandable but the production is quite far behind most modern downloads which you may find problematic if your not already familiar with some of the handling used.

Overall, these are cool moves which allow you to be a strong stride ahead of the specs, the production quality did slightly bother me but hey-ho professional equipment is expensive!

Deception Vol.1, Dave Forrest

Dave Forrest has always been one of my favourite producers in our art, his magic really is (as the DVD covers states) 'bursting with ingenious concepts, astonishing routines, devious moves and diabolical gaffs', if your not familiar with Dave's work, I would highly recommend you check out his site - link at the bottom.

I have a lot of highlights from this DVD as there's a lot of good stuff to be learnt, lets begin with the moves! 'R.S.M.S' (riffle shuffle multiple shift) is a very nice, natural control which can be burned! 'Don't Blink' is a cool open colour change, this looks good but the handling (although not difficult) is a bit angle sensitive making it more of a magician move than something for workers, but still worthy of learning. Dave's 'Whirligig Control' is a neat move which is so discrepant yet so deceptive! - you'll be using this move!

On to the routines, starting with 'One', this has been a show piece of Dave's for a long time - a single playing card is named which matches a prediction card (and the only card) in the card case. This really is a strong fooling effect with a smart method, perfect for an opener.

'Matrix' is a very visual effect where you draw an 'X' in each corner of a signed card, one by one you cause them to assemble in one corner creating a nice souvenir for the spec. The method consists of a few basic colour changes and some additional cards, so for little effort you get a very visual commercial effect with a quick reset, can't complain!

'Discarded' is Dave's take on a Bannon routine, a card is lost in the deck, spec chooses red or black aces (let's assume red), these are lost in deck too to find selection, upon spreading the deck the red aces have changed into black aces and the tabled aces are now the red ones which have captured the selection. A really magical effect for laymen and simple to do, thumbs up!

'Dali' is a memorable way to hand out your business card. Essentially you remove a drawing from the back of your business card. Again, simple but effective!

'Spectre' is a beautiful card to box effect. There is a gimmick, but it's so 'diabolical' you'll be grinning like a Cheshire cat! Awesomeness.

'Problem Solved' is a brilliant approach to the Hofzinser ace problem. The method is something you'll need to play around with a little but on the whole this is a very direct and workable effect, I really like this one.

S.C.T.A (spec cuts the aces) is probably in my top three effects for this dvd, very fair, convincing and workable, thumbs up!

That's it for my highlights, I did also like 'Mentholism' (card to inside tic-tac box) but it doesn't suit my style though in the right hands this could be a great closer.

So you've heard what I did like, how about what I didn't. 'One more thing' - four kings lost in the deck are then found in impossible locations. This isn't a terrible effect by all means but I just felt there were elements which could have been improved. 'Piccalilli' is a sandwiching effect with two cards which has some nice ideas method wise but I found the plot to be a bit illogical, I'd like to see this with a coherent presentation.

Overall this is a great dvd with lots of fresh ideas to keep you busy - looking forward to volume two! Recommended. 

Available at http://www.full52.com/

Clench, Calen Morelli

Calen Morelli is a young prodigy who has recently burst on to the scene with an explosive amount of incredibly creative material. Clench is Calen's take on card to mouth.

Instead of trying to describe the effect further, save me some time and YouTube it!

The method which Calen uses to control the card isn't original but it's still a valuable principle which every card man should know. The production is fairly technical to do, combining a knacky move (under pressure flourish fan) with some well coordinated timing and presentational devices. Calen does a good job to surface all these points and as always the paper crane production is top class.

Overall this is a great trick but will definitely take some solid practice to perfect, for that reason I can only really recommend this to those who are willing to devote time into their art, but if your like me, half the fun is in the challenge! Thumbs up!

Available at http://www.papercranemagic.com/clench.htm

Doohickey Switch, Nathan Hickey

This is one of those moves you show your session buddies and they all stop fiddling with their cards to take notice, eye catching awesomeness! 

Essentially this move openly switches (on the fly) three cards either visually or invisibly - as a colour change or utility switch.

The switch is carried out in the blink of an eye so poses no risk of being caught, but to get the handling down may take you some time if your not already competent with cards, in other words I wouldn't recommend this for the beginner.

Nathan teaches the move in-depth at an easy to follow pace and also serves up some cool compact routines, all of which are very workable. The production is very slick, offering close-up shots from various angles to give you the best possible chance to grasp this move both in theory and handling. I'm most interested in using the switch as a utility move, Nathan talks you through a very fair, casual way of openly appearing to lose the four aces in the deck whilst of course controlling them, for me this was stronger than the effects and sets you up for some killer magic.

Overall I think you'll get a lot of mileage from the content of this download, as well as finding ways to incorporate it into your own effects. It's also extremely well priced, so even if you don't think your quite ready to learn this move, your not to going be put out of pocket finding out. Recommended.


Available at http://www.papercranemagic.com/doohickey.htm

Sunk, Seth Rovner

I was a bit sceptical when I watched the trailer for Sunk as I tend to perform purely gaff-free magic, but this is brilliant! The gimmick used here can be easily added or removed from the deck and is well concealed once applied.

As your probably aware by now, Sunk allows you to cause a previously lost selection to rise out of the deck either in your hands or whilst in the card case. Seth also offers some alternate versions using the specs hands - these are effective but with regards to presentation I favoured the magi based productions.

You'll be pleased to hear the method is super simple to grasp, making this suitable for all skill levels. 'Impromptu rise' - where the card case isn't used may take a little more work, but the majority of the material you'll be performing in minutes! 

As I've found with all paper crane releases, the teaching and production standards are excellent.

Overall if you don't mind using a gimmick then you'll find this an absolute gem! And if you do mind using a gimmick..well I would still urge you to check it out - I did and now I can't stop using it! Thumbs up.

Available at http://www.papercranemagic.com/sunk.htm

The Best of Peter Duffie - Volume 3

Recently I've been cramming my head with tricks and ideas from 'The Best of Peter Duffie, Volume 3', my mind is now buzzing and I can't sleep! But in hindsight it's been a worthwhile read.

There are 45 items in this e-book which are vastly varied in plot and difficulty level, so if your particular with the magic you perform this might not be for you as there may only be a few tricks which suit your style. None the less, there is still some cracking magic to be learnt.

I'm not going to talk about each trick as I really would become sleep deprived - for about 2 days! So instead I'll go into highlights, the tricks which for me make this worth purchasing.

Starting off with 'Delusion Assembly' - three selections are noted and tabled, the kings are produced and laid out in a diamond formation, the three selections are dropped on one king where they instantly change into the other three kings, the other three kings have now of course changed into the selections. Very visual, easy to do, great trick!

'Double Decker' sees two random cards lost in the deck and magically located/trapped between two jokers. The handling here caught my attention and will probably confuse magi's!

'The PallaD Principle' is a great self-working method (using dealing), to transpose cards (one at a time) from two opposing packets. The accompanying routine is a multi-phase transposition effect with the premise that the cards which transpose are random choices. It may read lengthy and sound dull to a magician but for laymen I think this a strong solid effect - clear plot with nothing to get caught out on and plenty of opportunity to create a building presentation, good stuff!

'The Fleeing Aces'. The deck is split into two packets, a selection is lost in one packet and the magician stating "the aces shall find your card" cuts the aces into the packet - only to suddenly realise they've been placed in the wrong packet. The magician starts spreading through (as if to remove them) and looking confused you show they've vanished, the spectator can then spread the packet still on the table to reveal the aces trapping the selection. This is a cool effect with a nice sucker element and no duplicates which is always nice to hear!

'Elvis has left the building' is a cool transpo/change effect where a king (Elvis) and two aces (bodyguards) are isolated in the card case. These three cards are then produced in a flourish manner and now in the case is the three other kings (impersonators). The story which goes with this trick instantly makes it an interesting, entertaining routine - commercial!

'Kick Start Aces' is a decent spectator finds the aces routine. The handling has been well thought through to make this seem really fair, there's a quick flow to this creating a great opener into a four of a kind trick

'Mini Mental Revisited' is a previously unpublished trick that I really like! 8 random cards, shuffled, dealt into four piles (two cards in each packet), magician looks away, spec A picks up top card from any packet, spec B takes bottom card from same packet, they each remember their cards, they place them back down to re-construct the packet and then re-assemble the packets in any order (all whilst the magi looks away), magi shuffles, fans the cards asking specs if they can see their selections - and boom, you now know the identities. Seems too fair to be true! Once you know the selections you can, as Duffie says "use this knowledge in your most inventive manner", great thinking!

There are many more strong items such as some takes on the collectors plot and diary predictions but it was only really the above that fits my style.

I found a lot of the tricks put me off due to heavy set-ups, few were the sort which you can rustle up on the sly. Don't get me wrong the effects are nice and will appeal to a lot of people who can afford to prepare a strong opener or are willing to deck switch, but for those who prefer impromptu magic I wouldn't recommend this download - in less you have some extra cash and are happy to come away with just a few performance pieces. The explanations I found a bit intangible at times but Duffie does do a great job adding photo aids where possible. 

Overall I think this download is well put together and does contain great magic, but for me I haven't been able to take enough away to feel like highly recommending it. I'll finish by quoting a phrase I often hear magicians say "even if you use one trick, you still get your monies worth", well here you'll definitely get more than one trick and the price is easily affordable, so on that note I'll leave you to come to your own conclusion.

Available at http://www.peterduffie.com/

Bullet Party, John Bannon

Bannon's back!

Possibly the most anticipated DVD release of 2011 and with good reason! If you haven't heard of John Bannon, where have you been? If you have you'll know that he's an internationally renowned producer in his field and this release makes it clear to see why.

The Production, crediting and explanations are all top notch, in fact Bannon is assisted by David Solomon, Andi Gladwin, James Went, Colin Miller and Jamie Badman (not all at the same time), who each sit in for a few explanations to help point out anything which needs further detail. To sum up, the teaching is excellent and the DVD is very well put together - as you'd expect! 

Before unleashing total magic destruction, Bannon gives a brief introduction at the start of each performance to touch upon inspirations, aims and thoughts, I found these really interesting and a chance to gain an insight into Bannon's mind!

Lets talk about tricks! Disc one features the trick after which the DVD was named 'Bullet Party' which is essentially a transposition routine containing a strong kicker where three jokers change into three aces, a nice presentation and a well choreographed handling make this a strong commercial effect. 

'Final Verdict' is a fantastic spec cuts to the aces routine. Some nice subtleties make this very hard to backtrack, throughout this DVD you'll notice Bannon's extra thought to handling which make his methods so clean, you'll be using this one straight away.

'Box Jumper' is a very fair and sudden transposition of two cards, again the method for this is so direct and resourceful that the effect seems impossible, I'm looking forward to using this. 

'Riverboat Poker' is a quite a lengthy poker demonstration, the type of trick you'd have to save for an appropriate setting. As always I respect the thinking here, but this trick wasn't for me.

'Paradox Poker" is practically a self working matching routine. I enjoyed watching this but it didn't appeal to me as a trick I'd like to learn.

'Fractal Re-Call (Revisited)' is the bomb! Easily my fave on this disc, 8 random cards are split between (as the presentation goes) a magician and a gambler, the magician turns his packet into four ace of spades, the gambler turns his cards into four aces and then the magician changes his cards again, only this time into a royal flush! A lot of magic in a short amount of time - this is what I like to see!

'Crocodile Cut' is a fancy false cut which takes little practice and does seem genuine.

Disc two begins with 'Mega Wave', a perplexing mystery pattered around sleight of hand and mentalism. This really is a terrific fractal trick.

'Fat City Revisited' as you might have guessed is Bannon's original trick revisited! Here he's added a preceding phase to condition the spectator to expect a classic sandwich ending, thus adding to the surprise of the twist ending. Bannon also uses a nice handling to eliminate the ATFUS move. Another routine you WILL want to use.

'Wicked' is Bannons take on Paul Harris's Grasshopper effect. Bannon has also added a memorable story presentation which helps to clarify the position of each card. Good stuff!

'Bullet Catcher' is a swift production of four aces. A deceptive handling makes this possible and is guaranteed to land in your repertoire.

'Drop Target Aces' utilises the drop sleight to create a dainty ambitious aces which you can easily formulate your own patter for, this is a quick fooler and a great intro for a longer effect.

'Four Shadow Aces' is a smooth assembly that sets up for 'Big Fat Bluff Aces' and together these create dynamite! A truly wonderful assembly routine with high intensity magic, thank you for sharing this Mr Bannon!

My verdict, this set is golden! A potent mix of commercial and magician foolers plus a whole array of ideas to get you thinking. Thumbs up!

Available at http://www.bigblindmedia.com/product-bullets-party.html

ICANDY, Lee Smith & Gary Jones

Featuring material from the repertoire's of well respected UK magicians Gary Jones and Lee Smith, i-Candy is a joint collection of close-up card and coin routines aimed at the 'worker'. 

When I first heard about this project I predicted great things and I'm pleased to say that the DVD did meet those expectations. The performances of each effect are filmed live in a bar setting, which although creates an unnatural environment for both magician and spectator, do a fine job in showing the impact which these routines have in the 'real world'. The explanations were filmed in a casual manner, a sort of session type scenario, which is enjoyable to watch but I felt that some could have been shortened and made more concise. Crediting on the whole is very well acknowledged and there is a lot of extra input from both Gary and Lee with regards to working for laymen based on the wisdom they've gained through years of experience. 

So on to the tricks! Personally coin magic isn't my thing, but that's not to say I can't appreciate the magic involved from a laymen perspective and the coin tricks which Gary offers here are very visual and charming, I particularly liked his '3 Coin Routine'.

On to the cards tricks - now were talking! There are more pros than cons here so I'll get my gripes out first, beginning with Gary's touch on the Hindu force - I won't go into detail to avoid revealing his presentation here, which by the way is probably something that many people will like, but I couldn't help thinking that it advertises and calls too much attention towards the mechanics of the shuffle, thus increasing the chances of being caught out during the actual selection procedure. A few more problems I had with some of the card material included Lee's 'Triple Choice' routine in which a brilliant principle is, I believe, taken too far and to a certain extent reveals the method. I also felt that Gary's 'Pocket 2 pocket 2 pocket' could have been streamlined to result in fewer phases but with heightened moments of magic and that some of the performances (noticeably during a palm sequence) seemed rushed - again with the abnormal situation of performing in front of a camera, angle limitations could be to blame. I respect the experience that these guys have so my cons might just be me over thinking, if you've seen the DVD you'll realise that these aren't huge flaws I'm picking at but it's an honest review and so it wouldn't be fair to leave these opinions out.

The pros! 'Kick back kings' and 'Kick back kicker' work together to create a nice transpo routine, plot wise nothing new, but a straight forward method and plenty of gasping moments for the audience. 'T.N.T' is Lee's sublime take on the torn and restored card, simple but very effective. 'Scoop', the build up lost me a bit but the anniversary waltz ending makes this killer and you can always go about altering the handling to suit. My favourite effect was 'Vanishing point', this trick is right up my street, quite bold and daring but allows for a great moment causing two tabled kings to vanish on their own accord, very cool! The version taught is actually John Carey's so thanks to him for permitting this item. There are plenty more well thought through effects, but for me these were the highlights.

And to top it all off, we get an in-depth explanation into 'ifone 10' - this is a super commercial routine (notably performed by Paul Zenon on Countdown) that really has all the components of a commercial effect, without a doubt the best item on the DVD. I'm assuming by now your familiar with the routine so I'll jump straight into saying that Lee, who's joined by cheeky chap Ravi Mayar really does a spot-on job covering all the points and the DVD even equips you with the necessary tools to create your own props. Gary also provides his simplified handling which eliminates any sleights that may put you off. This is a guaranteed winner!

Overall I'd recommend this DVD, your definitely not going to be displeased buying this especially if your looking for some hard hitting, commercial...well..eye candy! Thumbs up!

Available at http://www.rsvpmagic.com/product_icandy.html