Easy to Master Card Miracles (ETMCM) Volume 5
Performance and Instruction by Michael Ammar.
What it says on the box:
… I would tell you, but I’m typing this from a hotel room and don’t have the box with me. If you really want to know what is says on it, ask me in a month or so
What you get:
11 effects, the gimmick for the last effect, explanations, real secrets and super practice sessions. You will need to get an extra someting for card on the ceiling.
I forgot to mention the Real Secret and Super Practice Sessions on my previous reviews. The Real Secrets sections are shown after the effects and provide hints and tips about presentation. The Super Practice sessions are shot from behind and show the moves again from a different angle. I find it useful to learn the details step by step, with the aid of the play/pause buttons of the remote control.
The Effects:
Virginia City Shuffle Aces (Martin Lewis, David Falanga, John Luka ):
The magician shows three blank cards and an ace of heart. He puts one blank card on the table, the ace is inserted between two blank cards. With no funny move, the ace disappears from in between the blank cards and the original blank card on the table has transformed itself into the ace. This is repeated a second time, then a third, but this time all blank cards turn into three red aces, and the red ace into a blank card.
This is done to the theme of Three Card Monte. I think the patter is a little repetitive, but you would obviously make it your own. The effect is actually quite spectacular, and this would link well with a 3CM themed routine.
Another quick coincidence (Allan Ackerman):
A nice and quick Four Aces production. The magician selects a card at random, the spectator selects another one, and inserts his selection randomly into the deck. The first two cards are shown to be the two black aces, and the two cards sandwiching the spectators selection, the two red aces.
Nice, quick, easy. I think I prefer “Spectator Cuts to the Aces”, but this is still very snappy.
Henry Christ’s Fabulous Four Ace Trick (Henry Christ):
With the 4 aces face up on the table, the deck is cut in four pile, and each pile added on top of the aces. The aces are inserted into and in between each pile and the deck reassembled. The deck is spread, and one card is face up. The magician counts down to the number indicated by the card and finds the first ace. Then another ace I found face up. The third ace is found by spelling, and the fourth by means of a little card flourishing.
This is also a nice way to find the aces again, because it uses four different and unexpected methods.
Cards into Card Box (Marl Lefler):
The spectator sees the magician shuffle the cards and is asked to pick one. This is impossible however; as the magician shows clearly that all cards are still in the box … while they were out a microsecond before… get it? … Weird
This is a nice little puzzle that you will miss if you blink.
The Gun Trick (Ken Krenzel):
The magician explains that the Ace of Spades is a “bullet card” and puts it on the table. The spectator freely chooses a card, which is shuffled back into the deck. The magician cuts the deck and weaves the packets perpendicularly, making them into the shape of a gun (well, OK lateral thinking). He loads the bullet card in the gun, gives it a flick, making the spectator’s selection shoot out of the gun in a spin.
This is nice, quite easy and visual. OK, so it’s a pick a card trick, but I think it is well supported by its storyline, and the revelation is really unexpected. I like it.
Card on Ceiling (Michael Ammar):
A card is selected, signed, dated and returned to the deck. To avoid any suspicion of sleight of hand, the deck is rubber banded together. With the deck in full view on his hand, the magician calls attention to the ceiling. Nothing there. He throws the deck on the ceiling, the selection with it signature in stuck on the ceiling!
I have to say I love this effect, it is so unexpected. And the card can stay up there forever if you want. You will need to buy an extra little something to make it work, but you either already have it, or it is really cheap and will last you forever.
Torn and Restored Card (J.C Wagner):
A card is signed and torn into four pieces. One piece is handed to the spectator. The magician slowly restores the remaining three pieces and shows that the last quarter held by the spectator matches the torn corner exactly.
This effect looks very clean. You can see the card being torn, and are left baffled as to how this can be achieved.
Hofzinser All Backs (Harry Riser):
A card is selected and returned. A packet of three is removed from the deck and the magician shows that these three cards are in fact the spectator’s selection: the top, bottom and middle one separately. He then shows that in fact all these three cards are double-backs, then changes them all to three indifferent cards, making the selection disappears. Dropping the three cards back on top of the deck, and snapping his fingers, he makes the selection return to the top.
I think this would make you stand out as a real sleight of hand artist. I have not practiced it yet, but this will be my next one. Although this will require practice, I think the effort will be more in the memorization of the sequence of moves and their fluidity, rather than in mastering complex sleights. In other words, it looks hard and isn’t! I’m not too keen on the actual patter for that effect, I find it a little repetitive, I will need to change it to suit me more.
Out of sight, out of mind (Dai Vernon):
This is a mind reading effect, where the spectator sends mentally a peeked at selection, and the magician finds the cards using his psychic intuition.
I’ve seen it written this was one of the classics of mind reading with a deck of cards. I’m not proficient to judge whether this is correct, but the effect is indeed very baffling.
Grasshopper (Paul Harris):
The spectator sees five cards, his selection and four kings. The selection is inserted between two kings, the other two are on the table. Suddenly the selection disappears from between the first two kings, and reappears between the two king on the table. The spectator removes it himself.
A card jumps from one place to another invisibly. I like it and I think it would link well with another effect called Visitor, which has a similar premise but uses the whole deck. Will try it as part of my 4 of a kind routine.
Paramount (Aldo Colombini):
This is amazing. A card is selected, signed and left protruding from the deck. Three blank faced cards are brought out, with opposite back color to the deck being used. The magician’s purpose is to print a perfect duplicate of the selection on one of the blank cards. First he must remove the color from the back of one of the blank cards. He does. Then he must print the right color back. He does. Then, he must print the identity of the card, he does again. Finally he must copy the signature on the card, which he does.
This is really amazing (did I say that already?) Every step is a surprise, and the ending revelation of the signature is just impossible. If you want, you can even put the copy in your pocket and go find the original in the middle of the deck, it’s brilliant. It reminds me a bit of Color Burn by David Forrest.
Cost:
I purchased mine directly from Michael Ammar’s web site http://michaelammar.com/ for USD 27.98. You get a 10% discount on your next purchase.
The publishing company L&L Publishing sells it for USD 35. www.llpub.com
World Magic Shop stocks is at GBP 31.99: http://www.worldmagicshop.co.uk/
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)
Between 2 and 3, some sleights are used, but they are simple and well explained.
Review:
Card on the ceiling is great, I have done it several times and it gets great reactions. Paramount is just pure magic, I need to find somewhere to put it. Hofzinser All Backs is next on my list of things to learn and I will try to add it into my four of a kind routine.
Overall:
Another great DVD for beginners with cards, which teaches powerful effects that you can achieve with simple sleights.
Other Volumes of ETMCM also reviewed on Talkmagic:
ETMCM Volume 1:
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=2548
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=2719
ETMCM Volume 2:
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic26672.php
ETMCM Volume 3:
http://talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic28661.php
ETMCM Volume 4:
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic28783.php
ETMCM Volume 6:
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1833
