For stand-up, Ellis offers a first rate version of the classic razor blade routine where he swallows a series of blades, which ultimately reappear out of his mouth, threaded on a string. Ellis' brilliant approach maximizes safety but still allows him to use the blades to visually slash jumbo playing cards. And the clean-up is logical, humorous and pure genius.
Credit card fax is a good card revelation that uses a borrowed credit card. An ID picture mysteriously moves from the magician's credit card to the spectator's and reveals the chosen playing card. I'm personally not comfortable borrowing a spectator's credit card in my performance situations, but the effect is a strong one.
Effects for Workers
Deckstress is another effect from Ellis' arsenal. Here, a spectator names a card from those that he or she sees and discovers that it’s the only one that is marked on the back. Ellis provides an easy way to perform this effect and all you have to do is focus on presentation. A variation on Deckstress, Name Deckstress offers a more powerful version that uses a spectator's name.
Deathslates is an offbeat and creepy card prediction with slates. I was particularly impressed with Ellis’ freeform Jazz Cards, an involving effect where a spectator seemingly controls the deck to find his or her own card. (The “jazz” in the name represents the trick’s flexibility.) Deck Vanish is an impressive routine that allows two spectators to choose cards. And after returning them to the deck, 50 of the cards in the deck disappear, which leaves the magician with the two chosen cards.
7 Keys to Paradise is Ellis’ version of the well-known Seven Keys to Baldpate. Ellis offers a method that’s straight-forward and easy, and he shows how to adapt the effect for strong use at corporate events and other occasions. Cellular Thinking is a useful, no-code telephone prediction that allows a spectator to name a card or object, and call a number to have a “wizard” reveal it.
Cash to Credit Card allows a magician to visually fold a bill and turn it into a credit card. Ellis’ Shakespeare's Monte is an entertaining, Elizabethan-themed presentation for the “Jumbo Monte” effect. The DVD shows his performance and offers text for the routine.
One of my favorites, Bill to Anything allows a magician to borrow a bill, have it signed and make it reappear anywhere. And the torn “receipt” matches. In the performance video, the reappearance happens in a banana. Ellis’ method is clever and cunning.
