by seige » May 31st, '06, 14:32
Here's a brief review... I've had it in stock for a couple of weeks, and I love it to bits...
REVIEW (concise)...
The Prime Cut DVD features two effects—Prime Cut and Phone.
PRIME CUT
Being honest, when I first saw this a while ago, I was unsure as to the method. I had some ideas of how the trick could be executed, but the actual WORKINGS of it blew me away a little...
I have actually studied the original version of this effect by Tamariz (from Mnemonica) but found it a little unworkable. But here we have a solution!
Here's how it plays: The magician asks the spectator to name any card in the deck. Without looking at the faces, the spectator cuts the deck exactly at the card they thought of moments ago.
Yep—that's exactly how it plays. And yes, I've tested it on numerous people, and no, they have NO idea how it was done, and yes—it totally freaked them out of their minds.
The effect is taught very meticulously—from the setup, presentation and theory, right through to the execution. There's even a few variations on the handling to keep the options open.
The method is very diabolical. I watched the performance section about four times before I watched the explanation—as I love to see if I can guess the way somethings' done. However, although I picked up one small part of the effect, the actual method escaped me.
Easy to do, easy to set up, and instant reset. Can be repeated immediately. Minor card skills required, but to describe them as 'sleights' is an overstatement. The skills required can be learned from the DVD in minutes. No gaffs or gimmicks as such, but just a small cardician's knowledge goes a long way to making this a fully examinable deck.
The quality of the video is good. Shot well, with multiple angles, multiple repeats and a good, solid commentary which is both light hearted and informative.
All in all, I rate the 'prime cut' part of the DVD as a 9.5 out of 10. Losing 1/2 a point because hey, nothing's perfect!
PHONE
This is the 'second on the bill' in terms of importance here, but this effect has actually gotten equally good reactions for me as Prime Cut.
Phone is a totally hands-off effect—performed over any distance to a caller on the end of a telephone. Here's how it plays:
Magician rings a spectator, asks them to grab a deck of cards and shuffle them thoroughly.
Now... one point to note here. The spectator needs to have two hands free to perform the effect... this became apparent when attempting the effect on a friend. The spectator needs to hear you and have both hands available at the same time. But, this wasn't too much of an issue.
Anyway, basically, the spectator performs a few cuts, a shuffle, and is asked to perform some simple instructions—including making a card selection and then burying it in the deck.
The magician then uses 'mindpower' to divine the EXACT card chosen.
Now... this sounds impossible. And when performed, it SEEMS impossible. But the sheer freak-out from the spectator will prove to you the worthyness of this effect. The method again is diabolical. The actual mechanics of this are pure and pretty much self-working. All you have to do is follow the instructions, and give the spectator the correct set of commands, and you're done.
Give this an 8.5 out of 10.
OVERALL
A fantastic quick-fire DVD with two effects which could literally have been sold separately. Recommended.