Full Reviews Index

Review: Cardiograph by Wayne Dobson
Here's a relatively easy, solid trick where a signed playing card apparently jumps from one place to another. It's seemingly impossible and a great effect from Wayne Dobson that is not difficult to perform.

Review: Make Amends by Wayne Fox
Magicians generally love torn and restored playing card effects. In this regard, Wayne Fox's "Make Amends" offers something different. In this take on the classic plot where a card is torn and then brought back to its initial, pre-ripped state, the card is completely restored in the blink of an eye.

Review of The Plot Thickens by Oliver Meech
Refreshingly different, Oliver Meech's book, The Plot Thickens (MSRP: $22.00), offers 22 fun effects. It's an unusual collection that offers clever tricks that are more notable for their entertainment value and visual illusion and not for their methods. And at $22 (US), this one is a bargain.

Review: Magic Tricks R4 Kids
Specifically for kids who want to learn magic, Will Roya's first rate "Magic Tricks R4 Kids" offers four titles that teach simple tricks. The instruction is excellent and the tricks are appropriate for kids. The series also features high production values. I recently took a look at volumes one and two.

Review: Criss Angel Mindfreak Season Four
It's hard to imagine that there's anything left for Criss Angel to do in his weekly half-hour series, Mindfreak. His fourth season of Mindfreak is quite entertaining.

Review: Total Vanish by Etienne Pradier
According to the ad, "a single playing card held at the fingertips visually melts away into nothing." Well, the card doesn't actually "melt away into nothing," after all, this would imply real magic. In the end, this vanish should be adequate under a variety of conditions, but it's only for magicians with large hands. Also, it's really no better than using a classic sleight-of-hand method.

Review: Andrew Mayne's Light Storm (Plans)
Good illusions always cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars, right? But magician and designer Andrew Mayne can change your mind. His plans for "Light Storm" offer a large-scale effect where an assistant appears to push a light through the body of the magician. The effect is a good one that can cost less than $60 to build.

Review: Andrew Mayne's Voodoo Box (Plans)
If you've always thought that good illusions cost hundreds, and even thousands of dollars, magician and designer Andrew Mayne can change your mind. His plans for "The Voodoo Box" offer a variation on the classic sword box that replaces the swords with umbrellas and is built with a cardboard box. The end effect is a good one that can cost less than $30 to build.

DVD Review: Runaround Sue
Is a DVD with only one routine worth the money? When it's Tim Ellis' "Runaround Sue," his take on the cups & balls, the answer is a resounding "yes." In addition to explaining Ellis' excellent fifties-themed cups & balls, the DVD provides lots of useful information on vanishes, setup and showmanship.

Trick Review: Ripped-Up by Peter Egglink
There are various methods to appear to tear apart a playing card and restore it, and Peter Egglink's Ripped-Up offers a different, gimmick-based approach that allows you to seemingly tear apart a signed card and instantly fuse it back together. The effect requires no palming and almost instantly resets, and is within the means of anyone who has mastered card basics, but you will probably need some distance from spectators to perform it.

Review: The Specter Cabinet (Plans)
The Spector Cabinet is another high-impact, low-cost illusion idea from Andrew Mayne. It's his creative take on the shadow box. His plans offer everything that you need to know to build the illusion for about $60 worth of materials. This one can make an excellent show opener.

DVD Review: Rocky Mountain Magic
From 1977 to 2004, the legendary Doc Eason was the featured magician at the Tower Comedy/Magic Bar in Snowmass Village, CO. This title, a DVD re-release of the 1990 video of same name, depicts a magical evening at the Tower some 16 years ago. And the disc offers a tantalizing bonus, commentary by Eason himself.

Film Review: "Saturday at Reubens"
"Saturday at Reuben's" is a wonderful and refreshing documentary by filmmaker Leslie Danoff that lovingly portrays the true magic behind our art, and shows how it binds us all together.

DVD Review: Michael Mode’s Napkin Rose
More magic touch than magic routine, Michael Mode's Napkin Rose DVD shows how to make attractive paper roses out of cocktail napkins. Mode offers excellent instruction and much insight on his DVD, and sells specially-dyed napkins for the job. Napkin roses offer an outstanding giveaway when strolling or table-hopping, and this DVD provides a thorough treatment of the topic.

Review of "...after all these years..." by Doc Eason
Think of bar magic and Doc Eason is one of the first names to come to mind. And if you can't see him live, his DVD, "...after all these years..." is the next best thing. This performance-only DVD shows the master at work and there's lots to learn when watching an accomplished entertainer who's done this, at the time of the taping, for 26 years.

Illusion Review: Andrew Mayne's Razorwire (Plans)
Another in Andrew Mayne's low-cost, build-your-own illusions, in Razorwire, the magician appears to pass through a tangle of barbwire behind the cover of a cloth. It's a convincing one-person illusion that may be easily built for under $100. The effect only requires basic tools to construct it and doesn't need any assistants.

Review: Royal Card Magic Kit
Here's a fine beginner's magic set that is devoted to playing cards. With its gimmicked cards, I think it provides a fast track for novices, but the documentation could feature more illustrations and be easier to follow and understand.

Review: Button Up by Etienne Pradier
Another "card to impossible place" effect, with "Button Up," a spectator's selected card is found attached to your shirt button. At the end, you even rip off the card and give it away as a souvenir. This one can provide a great ending to a card set, but this one is for experienced magicians.

Movie Review of "Is Anybody There?"
With Sir Michael Caine in the cast, "Is Anybody There" has definite star power and it's a good film with first rate performances. Caine stars as a bitter and aging retired magician who is stuck in a retirement home. His counterpoint, Bill Milner, stars as the young son of a couple that manages the home who is intrigued by the deaths that he has witnessed there.

Review: How to Create Kid's Magic And Triple Your Income by John Breeds
Have you prepared your routines and now feel ready to entertain kids at parties and other functions? And, in particular, do you want to make money at it? For this, John Breeds' "How to Create Kid's Magic And Triple Your Income" is must reading.

Review: Ninja + by Matthew Garrett
Here's an intriguing add-on to a well known routine. "Ninja +" offers a follow-up to a close-up linking rings routine. In this version, a finger ring is borrowed or brought into play, which links to a ring. A lot of creativity went into this effect, but I don't find the effect to be all that useful when added to a great close-up linking ring routine.

Review: Blank Deck
Here's a beginner's magic kit that you might find at your local drugstore. It's actually a single deck of cards that promises "20 tricks" and a "blank deck" that changes into a "printed deck." I found this one at my local dollar store. Is the deck even worth a buck (which is what I paid)? Frankly, it's not.

Trick Review: Timecard by Gordon Bean
Here's another brilliant trick from Gordon Bean. It's a powerful and surprising prediction effect that's been combined with a card revelation. And as the name implies, it's about time.

Review: Balloon Detective by Devin Knight
For magicians with balloon-making skills, the art of creating balloon animals, here's something that combines "twisting" with mentalism. The magic aspect of this trick is ultra easy and great for beginners. All you'll need to do is memorize a few things and increase your powers of observation.

Review of Mysteries of the Master Magicians
With a nod to the historical giants of magic, this beginner's set offers a solid introduction to our art. The kit offers a good set of beginner's tricks, many of which Royal (part of Fun, Inc.) sells separately. And the kit is a great deal at around 20 dollars.