Disc 3 has Jay performing Asi Wind’s excellent “Time is Money” (click here to read a review of his DVD). The effect is not taught here.
“Palm Prick” is a stunning card revelation by Felipe Abreu that makes it look as if he has speared a card from a video and pulled it out. It looks a lot like something Marco Tempest would think of and perform, but it looks as if Abreu got to it first.
Lasered
“Laser Aces” is a table based card trick where the magician finds aces but later shows that the deck consists of solid blocks of cards. Lovick performs and teaches “Muck You,” a gambling routine where the magician appears to show a spectator how to cheat by using the well known technique known as mucking-pulling key cards from the game and later putting them back in when they’re useful.“Paper Balls” (Peter Lentini) is an entertaining routine where a napkin is torn into quarters and the pieces are rolled into balls. The magician performs a series of transpositions-balls are held in one hand and a single ball is placed into the pocket but quickly joins the others in the hand. At the end, the balls join, but they form a fully restored napkin.
Klan’s “Coin and Bottle” is an offbeat transposition effect where a coin ends up under a bottle and then the bottle and coin switch places. In Given’s “Matches All Gone,” a spectator wields a sealed straw as a magic wand and waves it over a matchbook. The matches are found to have disappeared and when the straw’s wrapper is taken off, the straw is found to be filled with matches.
Stepped Ambition
Disc three comes with more moves. There’s handling advice for performing Mike Skinner’s famous (gimmicked) Three-Card Monte routine. The Cloud Change is a stunning and fast color change that can be used in place of a standard Erdnase change.“Stairway to Heaven” offers a “stepped” Ambitious Card segment-the magician creates steps out of a deck of cards and places a selected card on the bottom. At each step, the selected card is shown to be rising, as if in steps. And there’s lots more.
Dive Right In
Each trick is explained with two other magicians watching and providing commentary. This helps ensure that each effect is adequately covered. While I haven’t mentioned all of the originators here in this review, Jay takes care to properly attribute the effects.On “Talk About Tricks,” Joshua Jay offers a comprehensive collection of fantastic tricks and moves, and his all-star supporting group of magicians offer first rate performances and useful insights.
If you’re a serious about magic, “Talk About Tricks” is an all-you-can-eat buffet that will satiate your need to learn more, offers significant food for thought and will leave you with enough material to practice full time for the next six months. Cancel those appointments.
-Wayne N. Kawamoto
MSRP: (US) $99.95
Dealers can purchase from Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.
