talkmagic.co.uk

by **Demitri** » Aug 31st, '06, 08:50

Manhattanville - Outlaw Effects

Where you can get it:

http://www.outlaw-effects.com/outlaw/ - Outlaw Effects.com

Price:

$45 (on its own) Can be purchased as part of multiple combination deals. Check the site for more details.

Difficulty:

This is kind of difficult to judge. Based solely on the difficulty of acquiring the information - I would say 2-3. It takes a bit of work to get the system down, but it's not at all beyond the scope of almost any performer. I would jack the difficulty up to a 4-5 based on presentational demands. It's easy to get the info - but you certainly need to be able to sell this effect.

Effect:

Manhattanville is an authentic “aged” reproduction of the 125th St. Pawnshop’s end of the year volume. A compilation of all patrons and loans made.

Each entry contains the customers name, address, item pawned, amount of the loan, whether they redeemed the loan. All authentic streets and boroughs!

For those of you that have never been down on your luck, a pawnbroker lends money to customers in exchange for personal items of value. The customer then has a certain period of time to come back to the pawnshop, pay off the loan (with interest), and get their item back. If they do not pay off the loan in time (usually four months) they forfeit the item. Pawnshops kept a daily log of the loans made. This complication volume contains the customer’s name, address, item pawned and the amount of the loan.

Manhattanville is a sometimes sentimental, sometimes frightening look into the lives of some of the more "colorful" residents of New York city. Each customer of The 125th Street Pawnshop has a story; some were poor, some were rich and some killed to get the item they pawned. You will be able to describe the customer, the item pawned in detail, the amount of money lent on the item, the loan number, whether they redeemed the item and most importantly, the story behind the item. There are over 50 pages and 350 customers in the 1950 volume. You do not need to peek a page, you do not have to know a page number, and you do not look at the book. In fact you could do this with your back to the spec, but that would be rude.

What You Get:

A small (and I mean tiny) spiral bound notebook that looks like it's been around since the date on the cover (1950). Weighing in at a petite 4.5"x3.5" the book can fit in any pocket, making it an excellent walkaround mentalism marvel. Aesthetically, it is better than the Homicide book. Though both look great, Manhattanville just feels grittier and more realistic.

My Thoughts:

Manhattanville is the second in the Homicide Trilogy. Coming off the heels of the incredible Homicide book, Outlaw Effects has, in my opinion, upped the ante quite a bit. Rather than stick to the existing system (which, if you own Homicide - is an AMAZING system), Outlaw has improved upon it by making the choice of words even easier. It was never hard, but the fact that there are no restrictions whatsoever, makes this a step above.

This is, quite possibly, the coolest little book test you can find out there. I recently had a quick pm conversation with Mr. Tom Lauten about some of the drawbacks of standalone book tests. In some situations, the books seem incredibly out of place. Outlaw Effects has gone to great lengths to present products that, while still not normal everyday objects - still hold up under any circumstance simply because of the nature of the books. It's not a well-known novel, like some other book tests, but this is hardly a detractor. The book is just plain cool looking. It is really a wonderful dichotomy. It's completely out of place and suspicious looking - but BECAUSE of those very attributes, it is completely forgotten once the book is in someone's hands. People may think "hey, that's weird to be carrying that around" but they still marvel at it while it's being passed around.

Every part of the book looks perfect - The spiral binding is rusted over and cracking, the cover looks like it's about to fall to pieces, the paper is aged, dirty and in horrible condition. A wonderful touch is that the pages aren't even - so the book looks well-used. Don't let that fool you - this little wonder is perfectly sturdy. I've been carrying it in my pocket nearly every day since it came, and it has not a scratch on it (at least not any that weren't already put there).

Sure it looks nice. But how does this puppy play? In a word - AWESOME.

All the praise I had for Homicide is imparted upon book #2. Manhattanville (and all of Outlaw's products) greatest appeal is in just how accessible it is. Whether you're a novice or an experienced worker - you can step into this book and perform miracles right out of the "box". This is not to say it's completely self-working and requires no skill - far from it. The skill comes in how you present the effect. Outlaw has gone to incredible lengths to make the revelation easy enough to get you started - but it's up to your abilities to weave a story to drive the effect home.

But again, this is where the genius comes in. The very nature of this book and Homicide as well, is that the story has already begun. Someone was killed, or someone pawned an item or memento. Right there, the storyline is already starting. Even with limited narrative skills, you can build something incredible with the footprints Mr. Roth and crew have given.

Unlike other book tests where you're revealing a word, or perhaps a sentence or paragraph - in Homicide, the revelation comes in the form of plucking details about a completely random selection. Done to full effect, this can be one of the most extremely haunting moments you can create. That is not to say I am knocking other book tests. There are plenty of miracles out there - but I feel drawn to these two books. It may not suit all styles of performance, but the possibilities are truly limitless.

Yet again, the concept of expansion and adaptability comes into play, here. Like Homicide, your imagination and ideas can put even more wonder into the effect. Aside from just weaving a story out of nowhere, you can also put your own touches and additions into the book. For a quick example - the book doesn't tell you WHY these items were pawned. It gives a vague description of the item in question - but it doesn't have to end there. With a good amount of thought, you can put in details that are far more detailed and specific.

What's more powerful?

Revealing that a pocket watch was pawned for a few dollars?

Or

A silver pocket watch with a crack along the crystal was pawned. Looking at it, you can see the faint scripted letters that form the name "To My Darling Joseph" on the back of the old watch, just inches from the cracked ring that perhaps once held a thick faub. Years of disuse have caused the once vibrant silver to tarnish, black oxidization rings marring the once smooth, gleaming watch. The letters have begun to fade, almost as if evaporating back into the cold silver they once proudly and boldly engraved themselves into. Disappearing, fading - just like the memories of the woman who gave it to him.
With some thought, that exact scenario is possible!

I could go on and on, but in truth - the only thing I need to say is, if you're serious about a mentalism routine that is both beautiful and haunting - you should definitely look into the Outlaw Effects product line.

As an added bonus - The Manhattanville Book (and Whitechapel - the UK version) are compatible with the Homicide book. Though Manhattanville is in a more limited way, the pawn shop book test can work as a force in the Homicide book. I won't go into details about how - but the fact that Outlaw effects has made this crossover possible greatly increases the range and possibilities of these books. With Sinners (the killers book) coming out, the collection will be complete, and the Outlaw Trilogy will, I believe, will emerge as a true classic in this particular form of mentalism.

Cons:

I really couldn't find any. The only possible drawback is that the Manhattanville book is not as compatible with Homicide as the UK versions of the books are. However, this is such a minor detail - and the possibility is still there for a crossover, so while it's a slight negative, it's hardly enough to turn you away.

Another thing I've seen come up, is that neat typing inside the book. Some people have voiced displeasure about this. Personally, I don't see the problem with it. It does look a bit off at first, but I have yet to see anyone question the fact that there is typing in my weird little ragged book. However, to the credit of Outlaw Effects, and their desire to please their customers in every possible way - you CAN purchase a "blank" of this book, with all of the information contained separately so you can fill in the entries by hand. While I don't think I will invest in this (I'm a VERY impulsive person, so I won't say "never"), it is a nice option to keep in mind when making your purchase.

Final Thoughts:

Yet another astounding creation from Outlaw Effects. As a proud member of the "Outlaw Posse" (Mr. Roth said so! WOOHOO!!!), I can do nothing but urge each and every one of you on this forum to run out and get this. I realize that this rant may come off sounding like I work for Outlaw Effects, but I assure you, I do not.

Overall: 10/10 - This is a must buy item!!!