talkmagic.co.uk

I had never heard of this effect until today, while I was at the local magic shop when the fellow magician behind the counter told me about it. Despite the fact that I'm not a huge fan of the pretty much obvious, ancient principal (to magicians and many laymen alike) behind this piece, I impulsively purchased it. I am for the most part, regretful. All of the "claims" made within the advertisements, the trailer and even throughout the included DVD itself are laughable. Trust me folks, this is NOT "one of the most extraordinarily powerful routines you will ever perform" by any means! On the DVD, they go on about what a lasting huge impact this effect has on audiences and they invite you to see for yourself, as you watch their spectator's reactions, while you're watching them performing it live over and over. Honestly, the only reaction I noted at the end of each weak presentation was essentially the look of - "Ehhh... Okay.... Is that it?"...

As most here seem to agree, if you insist on purchasing this effect, the first thing you might as well plan on doing is, writing your own storyline and formulating some good reasonings for tearing the photo up and for the revelation photo being torn. Honestly though, the low impact payoff in this effect isn't even worth all of the trouble. Even if you gave good reasonings for the revelation photo being torn, there would still be no MAGIC whatsoever. The revelation is a prediction, nothing more.

In my opinion, the only thing that is possibly worth trying to salvage out of the contents of this package would be the photos themselves. They could possibly be used for some sort of bizarre "Out Of This World" type presentation. Otherwise, it is nothing more than a $35.00 (USD) dust collector.

Just my $0.02 (USD) worth...

~ Aedryan

the revelation isnt a prediction...

this is a display of someone somehow using their intuition and their feelings...to pick up on the emotive condition/resonance of what happened to two people in a photo...

its kinda like psychometry more than anything else...

IAIN wrote:the revelation isnt a prediction...

this is a display of someone somehow using their intuition and their feelings...to pick up on the emotive condition/resonance of what happened to two people in a photo...

its kinda like psychometry more than anything else...

This is why I like the IDEA behind the routine! A spectator picks up the vibes of a couple, not that she just selects a photo. This can be a powerful routine, but the presentation is WEAK. This is why a story, presentation is so badly needed. Yes, it needs a new fancy dress and makeup.

Here is an idea…… it may be dumb, but that hasn’t stopped me before…. Maybe it will get someone to think and work out a routine…. Make up different pictures with more information in them, besides two couples. Show them around and give them a mix, keeping the one 4th from the top. Lay them face down and guide the spectator into selecting one of the face down photos.

NO one knows what photo it is! (wink) ….. have her slide it toward her and off the table. She looks at the photo and then you do a remote type viewing. … just an idea….. what do you think?



Ray

I found White Star to be a solid and mysterious tone in my routines. Is this something I should do in place of White Star?

Right....where do I start?

I'm known not to write many reviews...and when I do it is because I am strongly passionate about something...or am bored. Look at Reality is Plastic! I felt pasionately, and it is now the longest review on TM to my knowledge.

This is now one of those times where I feel pasionaely about a specific effect, and that is how I feel about Til Death Do Us Part.

This is simply the biggest, lousiest, crappiest, biggest load of Bullsh*t ever known to exist on the face of this earth - and that includes the character "Sh*thead" from the "Wanted" comics (a character made up of 666 pieces of faeces from villians throughout the age, including Hitler)

Ask yourself - if this a good effect why do they not have a demo video? If this is the strongest piece of mentalism ever to reach this earth why not have a demo video? Because it is the biggest rip-off ever to exist!

I will tell you what you are buying.

You are spending £18 plus postage on a magician's force

yes

I'm not revealing, I'm stopping anybody else making the biggest single magical rip-off mistake of their lives.

I want my money back, but know I won't get it so screw it.

This is simply the biggest rip-off ever - £18 for a magician's force? really? And don;t come out with "you get photos with it" - I can get my own photos thankyou very much.

So in case you don't see what I'm saying...this efect is shocking at the price. Maybe included in a book as one of maybe 20-30 effects then that would justify the price more, but even then I wouldn;t expect the book to be more than £15.

This effect is s***. And for the money? Even worse.

Don't buy it unless you want to watch somebody perform a magician's force with photos, before telling them where to rip the photo.

"Please rip it down the centre...please rip it across the neck...oh look it matches my prediction in this envelope"

Shocking...absolutely shocking...

Great advertisement for something your selling, Chris.

[url]http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic32765.php[url][/url]

You wonder why I'm selling it?

I wonder why you did a psychology degree. If you can't see telling somebody something is a complete rip off, lousy and bullsh*t would affect the potential buyers, especially as they are bound to read a review on the same forum...well...perhaps psychology isn't your thing!

Think of the long term...if I don't sell it I don't sell it

The point is I'm adding my opinion to a thread of varying opinions, both positive and negative

For sure. I think it's the conman in me. Sell the bu**er, then write a bad review would me my way, but then again, I'm a cheat through and through.

If you want a prop that uses photos with some real punch and a great story, purchase "From Hell" . I'm not going to buy this, it looks pretty poor and obvious from what people have said...

I thoroughly commend Beardy for his honesty. I wasn't really sure about this effect, and put off purchasing it. I am now pretty sure it will never be bought by me.

The important thing to remember is that someone, somewhere, could get good use out of this trick, even if it's only the props themselves that are used, and an entirely different trick is performed with them.

That's why I said that I was only 'pretty sure' I'd never buy it.

Indeed. And this is why a balanced review thread like this one are so useful. In recent years, I don't think I have made a single magic purchase without searching for reviews and opinions beforehand. (Unless it was flash paper or some other cheap item).

LOL - guess what I just bought?!




....In fairness, I *did* get this as a package deal with MagicBox's 'Sleuth', so - even if it's as truly cr@ptastic as Chris found it, I'm not too badly stung... I hope

Okay – so I’ve now had chance to play with this one a little (yeah, yeah – Innuendo Bingo, here I come!), and, to be completely honest, I’m not disappointed in the slightest!

All things being equal, I really couldn’t give two hoots about the workings – it’s the effect I’m interested in, and – having now performed this (only twice so far, I’ll admit), the end impression left with the specs is well-worth the price of admission.

Sure, forget the claims about this being the Ultimate Most Powerful Effect You’ve Ever, EVER Performed – I’ll concede that that’s certainly a heap of bull; but – spooky, dark, subtle impact? This *does* have those things – in droves.

There’s something quite uncomfortable and unsettling about tearing a photograph (not to mention a wedding photo) into pieces, which seriously adds to the emotional flavour of the effect.

Sure, you need to be a capable story-teller to pull this off effectively, but if it’s shivers down the spine you’re looking for, this is more than capable of delivering a large slice of weirdness at the end of the evening (preferably with the wind howling outside, and the windows rattling in their frames!)

A solid 8/10 from me