talkmagic.co.uk

RELEASED 5TH OCTOBER. AVAILABLE NOW TO PRE-ORDER!!

GEORGE McBRIDE is notorious among his fellow magicians as a card man of devastating caliber! Get ready to learn the moves and routines that have earned him that notoriety along with the respect of some of the biggest names in magic!

A prominent figure in Glasgow’s underground magic scene, George earned his chops alongside some of the best known names in the field. Here, for the first time ever on DVD, the man himself unleashes the moves and effects that have firmly established him as one of the most creative and skillful card and coin handlers on the scene today. Get ready for something extra-ordinary. GEORGE McBRIDE THE DVD will astonish you!

What's on there...
Ace de Triomphe
Bar Room Blues
Cutting the Aces
Double Swap Sandwich
Open Assembly
Reversal of Fortune
Immediate Ace Spelling
Hotel Mystery
Discrepancy Assembly
Flight Path
Triola
BONUS: Twist Shift

Cost
£22.99 DVD (this is a PRE-ORDER promo price, by the way) from http://bigblindmedia.com/


Overview
I got an email from Owen at BBM telling me that this was on the way. Within seconds, I had already started to wonder what was going to grace me from the BBM team this time round...

Now... I am the proud owner of a little PDF booklet which is rather Duffie-esque, by a fella called George McBride (It's called 'best of osmosis', and is brill)

At first, I didn't even tie two and two together, but I HAD made the association between George and the 'Scotland Up Close' collection and 'Scotland Goes Mental' collection (complilation ebooks by Duffie).

Now... I'm speculating, but I think it may have been Dave Forrest who brought George on board at BBM, as a) they are both Scottsmen and b) they've surely worked together. (See... I told you I was like Sherlock Holmes)

BACK TO THE DVD...

OK, I won't get all nostalgic. Suffice to say, George's stuff has wowed me before, and it wasn't long before I saw the 'DVD menu' and the effect "Triola'... which I recognised straight away from Best of Osmosis.

So... first impressions? Well, Mr Forrest and Mr Packard have once again excelled themselves. The filming, editing and production are top-notch. I am not sure if it's totally intentional but there's a great high-contrast, high-saturation feel to the production, or it could just have been our telly... either way, the production in general ooooooozed quality from the get-go.

George himself reminded me a bit of Paul Gasgcoine (sp?) initially. But this soon wore off, fortunately!

Down to business: the effects were presented really well. I won't lie and say 'perfectly', as somehow George seemed a little 'nervous'. I am sure that's not the case, and it's just me being uber-critical... after all, the rest of the production is just so good that I HAD to find something to criticise!

George's audience includes the BBM regulars, Dave F, Owen P, Ian M. Big names themselves. But something that caught my eye was the sincerity with which the effects were received by these guys... even Dave—who I would class as one of the UKs foremost card guys—was so shocked he had to be beeped out. George's stuff is just so clean, simple, and direct that even the most challenging of moves is handle with exquisite ease.

I won't bore you by breaking down each effect (perhaps I will at some point), but there's a great mix in there, ranging from a cheeky full-deck colour change in Bar Room Blues all the way to an outrageous 'spelling routine' (card-at-spelling) in Immediate Ace Spelling.

Oh, and there's also a fantastic 'Matrix' effect, which was absolutely spelbinding. No gaffs, gimmicks. And no extra coins.

Explanations were clear, and if anything over-precise. Nothing left to the imagination. With Mr Packard overseeing them, no detail is left unmentioned.

Each effect's explanation has its own credits section—fantastically done—whereby each move, sleight or subtelty involved in the effect is credited to the originator. This is something many have tried to do in their explanations, but I've never seen anything quite this thorough. Well done, guys.

The multi-angle filming and clarity of photography is way, way above average for a magic DVD. This is a standard by which others should set their sights. The only other DVD this year that made me sit up and bark was David Stones'... this is as good, but without the pretentious or poncey attitude.

The scene is basically set with George in a pseudo 'Casino Royale' outfit... tux and open bowtie. Great! I kept expecting him to bring out a tommy gun, but he didn't. (Also, look out for Owens upper arm tat... VERY distinctive!)

The culmination of fantastic magic, great performances, explicit explanations and the now familiar BBM sense of humour and candid approach mean that this is more voyeurism than magical instruction—you'll feel like you're watching a jam session rather than being taught directly.

I can't stress enough here that there ARE some gimmicks involved. But as with most things these days, the pain is outweighed by the gain. I wouldn't endorse this so highly if I didn't think that it's all well within any cardies' capability to make or obtain the stuff required.

This is definately a 'watch it a few times' DVD. I am on my second run through. This is mainly because I simply enjoy watching the performances. Usually, a second run is to pick up on the instructions/explanations, but this is great entertainment too.

Can I suggest to BBM a 'show' with the BBM 'allstars' performing live? I am guessing it would be a sellout.

The quality of every single effect here is great, and as I said earlier the Duffie-ness of this really caught my eye. There's also hints of Marlo and a HUGE homage to Elmsley.


Difficulty
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

Sorry, but I'd give this a 4. Purely because anyone with no experience will get no value out of this stuff. It's not self-working, and it's going to need a lot of practice to get this stuff down to a performance-ready level. But it's worth it.

Overall
Sadly, I didn't pay for this DVD, it was a promo. But suffice to say I'd have paid at least DOUBLE the selling price for such a collection.

It's two DVDs in one: a great 'show' of performances, and a fantastic instructional too.

Oh, and there's some of the most mouth-watering teaser trailers on there for other BBM stuff you'll ever see... also all really well produced.

In fact, just looking at the teasers for other BBM home-grown stuff, you realise how far these guys have come, and what an impact they've made on the magic world.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this. Pre-order it ASAP.

And no, I'm not on a back-hander for this review. It's simply so good I needed to share my thoughts.

The preview looks excellent.

Hopefully the courier will deliver the stock to the right place this time so as we can get our hands on the DVD as soon as it's released!!

I just preordered this thanks to the great offer they have.

I then read this review and I'm glad it seems like I didn't waste my money Should be a good entry to the collection

The quality that BBM offers us continues! I'm still running through the fingers of fury DVD's and this sounds just as promising, if not more so. Dam BBM for their discounts on prerelease!

You guys won't be disappointed.

And yes, the discount makes it even more tempting.

Watching bits of this again last night, I suddenly realised why I like BBMs stuff so much... it's clean, honest and REAL magic. Magic with SKILL. None of this Ellusionist rubbish!

The ONLY turkey for me so far was Harrisons' 'Connected', which sadly let the side down. Clever, yeah. But just not quite right somehow.

But... George McBride's DVD is one which I am going to be going back to over and over...

How odd, also, that Owen tells me that George is quite a modest and humble chappie... although the skill and dexterity presented here would make you think he'd be egotistic about his work!

See... that's what sets us apart from the USA... while we're skilled and modest—being proven by BBM (I am talking about Tomo, Dave Forrest, Ian Moran, George), the USA magic stables are generally releasing stuff which is hyped, egotistical, vain and rubbish.

BBM are taking underground/unknowns and giving us a bit of real magic back. Quite refreshing. What shines through here is that BBM aren't displaying greed, avarice or pomposity... they're showing thought, passion and skill. Every ounce of their stuff—from the website/ordering right through to the end credits is done with TLC. Something which is a rarity in the 'get it done cheap and fast' world we live in.

I bet BBM stuff isn't appearing on YouLube or filesharing sites... why? Because the 'biactol' generation of net parasites aren't sophisticated enough to understand it yet.

Ohhhhhh I feel a flaming coming...

(But Brad's not egotistical or vain... his eyelashes really ARE that dark)

I think with Connected. it was basically a move.. with a common effect built around it to allow it to happen.

The rest of the products are cram packed full of good effects and live up to aall the hype whereas connected you needed to find your own filler. easy enough.. but for the price.. the other products offer so much more.

Connected is nice, clever and I enjoyed it.. but it certainly didnt have the WOW factor every other product has generated.

RELEASED TODAY!!!

Order a copy, but remember the postal strike.

You WILL love it, I promise.

Would you say the effects on this DVD are more advanced than the material on Iain Moran's Covert Magic or David Forrest's Trickery DVDs? Sounds like it might be.

... advanced... well, I'd say about the same as Covert...

An ickle bit more difficult than Trickery. But then again, Dave Forrest makes it look easy!

so, why don't you tell us how you really feel about ellusionist, seige?

seriously you came off as pretty supercilious there, what a convienent generalization to make that all the English guys are skilled but all americans just MUST be YouN00bers... um, not true

btw what do you think of theory 11, i hate it even more than ellusionsit, even though all they did was copy ellusionist, lol

Trashmanf...

See... that's what sets us apart from the USA... while we're skilled and modest—being proven by BBM (I am talking about Tomo, Dave Forrest, Ian Moran, George), the USA magic stables are generally releasing stuff which is hyped, egotistical, vain and rubbish.

I didn't say that ALL Americans are 'unskilled'... if you note, I was specifically talking about magicians...

Supercilious? Nah. I am merely stating that whilst the likes of Ellusionist and Theory11, along with much of the other 'new breed' American magicians are releasing just about anything to fit the current trend, the quality we are seeing coming from the UK—namely BigBlindMedia, Alakazam, etc. is notably more mature, and appeals to a much different audience.

I've absolutely nothing against Ellusionist. Or Brad. I was just kidding around. But seriously, how can one compare 'yet another coin in a bottle' or 'the greatest street magic effect ever' with the sheer class and depth we see from the UK offerings.

This isn't a 'US vs UK' argument. It's simply a reflection of how the fads/fashions of magic at the moment are being dealt with in two different countries. Sure, there ARE UK magicians jumping on the Blaine-wagon. But I am sure you have to agree, we're seeing a totally different calibre here.

The only decent contemporary thing I've seen come from the US scene recently is the Dan & Dave Trilogy. Some fantastic work on there. Fresh and lovely.

PLEASE don't think I'm doing a patriotism thing... that's not what this was meant to be about!

okay well thanks for the clarification, I just thought when I see one instance of hyperbole, it casts doubt on whether or not I should believe the rest of your review (which seems pretty hyped up to me...)

I am not aware of the vast differences between the UK/US magic scene, the only actual input I have on it is from the Magic/Genii/Street Magic magazines I'm subscribed too, and from this website (and US counterparts)

still, after buying too many DVDs, now I've got to be verrrrry careful about what I buy to make sure that I will hopefully actually use something off it ... i agree the trilogy is really great, I hope that level of quality is something that more DVDs aspire to in the future.

trashmanf wrote:okay well thanks for the clarification, I just thought when I see one instance of hyperbole, it casts doubt on whether or not I should believe the rest of your review (which seems pretty hyped up to me...)

I kind of think we're getting our definitions of the word 'Hype' mixed up, and also Hyperbole...

There's nothing exaggerated in the review above. It's purely personal opinion. I've no monetary loyalty or commission from the DVDs authors or stars—and therefore, any praise I choose to give it is purely accolade.

Only once in a while does something enter the market which genuinely impresses me, and when it does, I won't waste any grease when praising it.

To put you straight on my comments about the UK/US scene... it would seem to me that most of the US magic scene is currently based around the 'street magic phenomenon', and more recently, the XCM.

We're either slightly behind in the UK, or somethings' a little more sophisticated, as most of the UK offerings currently are a little more sane and down to earth.

This is a MASSIVE generalisation of course, as there's also some superb magic coming out of America. But I stand by what I said in as much as a lot like 'Halloween', magic has become a buzzword in the states, and kind of lost some of it's original mystery and meaning. And the capitalists out there jump aboard and give the public exactly what they want.

BigBlindMedia—along with Alakazam, WorldMagicShop etc. are helping bring UK underground workers and their magic into the mainstream. No bad thing at all. And what's really nice is that we're seeing so much creativity in general in magic these last couple of years that it's easily over-riding the YouPube generation's attempt at 'magic for the masses', and we're certainly seeing a slowdown in the 'Anyone can be a magician and release a one hit wonder' phase which occured during the street magic peak last year.

Let's hope that magic continues back towards the roots of real magic, which is what we're seeing with the UK stuff... it's magic for the sake of magic, and not magic for the sake of money. My main criticism with the US stuff—namely Penguin and Ellusionist (and now, Theory11) is that the magic is being rushed and bumbled just for the sake of a sale. The production qualities are good—but the product is, quite frankly mostly awful.

I do hope that people see around the 'hype' of my review above, especially our friends across the pond, and realise that there's something going on in the UK magic scene which you don't know about, which basically defines what magic is all about: creativity, passion and performance.

I have been impressed by all the BBM DVD's I have seen or bought and this is certainly one that I will be purchasing in the future.
I can see Seige's point in that BBM's material is solid workable material and no fluff, waffle or superflous material added.

The presentation on these DVD's is great and clear. I find that British magic tuition is more focussed towards the effects rather than the teacher showing off.

Some aspects of US DVD's I find hard to stomach, such as the annoying Gerry on Psychokinetic Silverware. These DVD's are meant to be rewatched so you can learn and his awful interjections grate on the first hearing, let alone the third.

well thank you both for the information. I also don't like the "shiny packaged" lame tricks and have even fallen victim to one or two myself (*** wait... you mean I could have got that effect, and 30 others, in a book, for half the price of the DVD? sonofa$@#$!!! ***)

anyhow, I will have to check out some of these fellow's work from your side of the pond then

also in regards to XCM'ing - they still make up less than 10% of magicians (just look at forum traffic on The Magic Cafe compared to forum traffic at the XCM sites)

because XCM'ing takes absolutely ridiculous amount of practice, it is going to remain more rare than traditional Magic - but, I've noticed a couple negative connotations from it. one being a lot of older magicians scoff at it due to the lack of patter, connection with the crowd/subject/layman, and seeming lack of relevance (i.e. it does not make sense to "cut the deck" into 14 different packets and balance one on your face)

also, yes the "youN00b" generation likes to post very poorly done vids of themselves, and that gives general observers the impression that the moves are stupid, rather than the realization that the extrovert in question is the stupid one. Sort of like if you'd never heard "Stairway to heaven" and walked in on a really crappy garage band murdering their way through it and said "MAN this music SUCKS!!!"

In conclusion, I think XCM has many useable concepts and creations that can be relevant to a magical performance, remember that Jeff McBride, Joe Cossari, Cardini, and even Houdini back in the day were all incorporating XCM into their professional magical acts!