talkmagic.co.uk

I would like to start off by saying that Andrew Mayne is a truly original magician, his work has always intrigued me.

Pencil Through Cheek--->

The magician takes a pencil, and stabs it through his/her cheek. When it is removed, there is no wound. This trick is so simple, so simple that anyone can do it. I love doing this trick in class, I will turn to the person sitting next to me and just stab the pencil through my cheek, their mouth will just drop open. Completely impromptu, easy and simple.

Bowling--->

My favourite trick on the DVD. The magician shows an empty paper grocery bag, then, a bowling ball falls out of it. This is also another simple trick. I did this last year for some people at my school and they were floored. This trick looks so magical and real that it baffles people everytime. The setup needed is minimal and the bag isn't inspectable, but it still looks great on stage.

Pin Head--->

The magician drapes a towel over his/her and pokes their head with a pin, then, their head deflates, but when the towel is removed, their head is perfectly unscathed. This is a trick that is only good on video. It looks amazing, but there is something that will give the trick away if done in person, it will give it away everytime, no matter what you do. I may do it to get some laughs though.

Stabbed--->

The magician takes a paperclip and stabs it through their arm. This is a great variation on Harry Anderson's Needle Through Arm but does not work for me as my skin isn't what it should be.

Lit--->
The magician takes a lit cigar or cigarette and presses the lit part to their skin but leaves no mark. Utterly terrible, I would never use this trick in my life.

Spike Through Toungue 1 and 2--->

The magician stabs a spike through his/her toungue. This is a clever trick, but I would never use it. I find it impractical and the handling too fishy. Some people may like it, but I for one do not.

Lunch for Cthuhlu--->

This is a cool little demonstration that you can do which shows the magician eating a candle, nails and a razor blade. It's a nice little routine which I used a few times and really got some people to drop their jaws. It's fun to do, and in my opinion, tastes quite good.

Bob Roach Psychic Entertainer--->

The magic asks a spectator to select a card and replace it in the deck. The magician then picks up a board with the numbers and suits of different cards on it along with a cockroach. The magician explains that the cockroach will attempt to point to the number and suit of the card. After the cockroach fails a few times, the magician slams the board shut squishing the cockroach. When the magician opens it up again, the cockroach blood is in the shape of the selected card. This is a nice trick, I have never done it, but I can see myself doing it in the future. It is a fun little routine with a nice reveal at the end. It has some potential for laughs and screams!

Brain Damage--->

The magician places a cardboard box on his/her head and picks shows three umbrellas. The magician then puts the umbrellas through the box appearing to have gone straight through the head of the magician. Everything is removed, and the magician is shown to be in no harm. I actually used this in a show last year and got some great reactions. I had people approaching me during the intermition of the variety show telling me how they loved it. This is a fun trick to do, even more so when you have an assistant! The method is simple and fun to do.

Overall, this is a great DVD for people wanting to get a beginners look in geek magic. I still use some of the tricks today. I did not review the Tricks Geek!!! and Take Out because I have no comment for them. As for Bed of Thumbtacks, it is just a demonstration and is not taught.

Mitchell

I too am a fan of Andrew Mayne, but I was a little disappointed by this DVD to be honest.

I perform close-up, so there's not much I could take from this to add to my routine. Yes, there are good ideas on here, but a few of them are kind of 'kid show' if you know what I mean?

BUT - on the plus side - there are some good illusions on there.

Like I say, I like Andrew Mayne - things like Hyper Cards, Ghost Bills, etc are perfect for what I'm after.

Enjoyed the review, though there is a template that is preferred for you to use, which includes possible points out of ten you would give and price, place to buy, etc...