Real Magic Reviews

20th Review - On Board by El Duco

2005-06-24T04:18:00.000-07:00

I'll keep this short and sweet. First of all, go to somewhere to read the ad. Hocus-Pocus carries it.

Then, visit your local toy shop and ask for those kids magnetic drawing board.

You should figure the rest yourself.

I didn't regretted buying this shit as I got it free from someone at the club who decided to give it away when I bought something from him. Enough said. Spend your $50 elsewhere.

I Am Back!

2005-06-22T19:27:00.000-07:00

Phew, weeks off blogging due to in-camp training. I was back 1 week plus ago but didn't have the time to write some good shit here. Apologies. And I was glad to come across MagicWhack's mentioning that he'll be removing some blogs that hasn't been updated recently, and I hoped the rest will still keep Real Magic Reviews on the blogroll. I also hope bloggers can do a favor by spreading the word that this blog is still active. Gee, I hope I'm not sounding too much like a cheap whore!

I've got a review coming up - Impossible DEVINation. And the challenge is a review without words. Keep it on the lookout.

Ok, here's something for all to think about - does it really make sense for a mentalist or magician for that matter to have a "products or for mentalists" only section on their website? I thought that's kinda retarted. You can't promote yourself to your clients and at tell him that you're selling shit at a fraction of the price that can be used at his upcoming event/show. Now if you're doing that, think about it.

19th Review - Penomenon

2005-05-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

Wow! A science experiment turned magic.

I won't even bother to give much details here as to the effect. Remember the science experiment where you rub the plastic ruler and then it attracts pieces of small paper?

That's it. For about $19.95 that's what you learn - electromagnetic.

Go get a plastic pen, rub it on your hair, then balance at its centre of gravity, move your hands/fingers near it, and it'll move.

The Ultimate Red-Black Separation

2005-05-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

We at Real Magic Reviews were busy lately; that's the reason for the lack of posts lately. But for a good reason. Ever since Paul Curry's Out of This World, we have been overwhelmed with different versions of this effect; and decided to set the record straight. So we spent the past one week plus evaluating all the possible versions out there; from Our of This Universe to A New World to Cosmos we finally found what we believe will be the Holy Grail; Black Hole.

That's right. The ultimate in red-black separation!

Don't be a sucker, get Black Hole today, you dont just blow their brains, you suck the shit out of them!

Introductory price $299.95, and we have only limited quantities available!

18th Review - Pocket Levitator

2005-04-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

Andrew Mayne should deserve credits for his creative efforts. Though I do not own anything much of his, I did many years back purchased Pocket Levitator. Though this review sways in the negative it does not imply that the rest of his stuff are bad. I don't know because I don't own them so its not fair to comment much. Besides that was years ago. I have confidence this chap has much more 'mature' ideas now.

Why It Really Sucks:
Though the idea in principle does make some sense, it isn't practical in most working conditions. You need sleight-of-foot to get this working, and to ease that not all shoe types are appropriate. But I suppose this may work for a TV/promo shoot it since you'll have controls of the angle and editing. Heck, almost anything would work on TV!

I think you should avoid buying it cause you're hardly going to be able to perform it.

17th Review - Marc Spelman's 4 DVD Series

2005-04-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

The price of these DVDs are slightly higher than the norm, since it came from the UK. So that deterred me from getting them when it first came out, but recently about a month ago I did. While prior to getting them I've read not very positive reviews about them, I thought from the description of the effects the DVD ain't that bad. And so I did finally.

Why It Sucks:
Boring presentations, slightly draggy in most cases. (But then again, with little creavitity, one could twig that easily). You'd probably bore your audience to death if you use them. Don't get me wrong, in commercial situations, I think Marc twigs his presentation slightly. Afterall, if he's good enough to be able to come out with these stuff, he aint that dumb to present the way he does in the DVDs to his clients. If he does, sad on him. But since these DVDs are meant to be for magicians, it aint that bad after all.

Why Its Good:
Most of the methods employed are quite good, and in fact clever. Its not stupid shit secrets that you're likely to know. Yes, I learned some pretty cool stuff. Overall, I quite like the DVDs.

If you're looking for something new for the club meeting, some interesting plot and ideas, give these set a shot. I am sure you'll find them useful somehow.

Hilarious Reads!

2005-04-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the recent lack of posts. Have been down with flu recently, followed with a bad cough, and a few gigs pop by at the same time! No, not 437 gigs - only Bish will have that many, but just a few. I will writing soon, and just visited some of the blogs out there, and here's some interesting shit you cant be missing

No School Left Standing Act
Steve Fearson, the clever man until...
A Matter of Style
Best Buddy

Btw, I have managed to sell yet a few of the R Paw Weeson Fucker Wallet, and only a few are left are grabs. So hurry!

No Chance for Chance Wolf

2005-04-18T23:23:00.000-07:00

You guys better check this wacky post out. Chance goes "Wolf! Wolf!" and gets a bitchslap. Hilarious. I couldn't figure out how and why the comparison between Wacky Weasel (or wolf for that matter) with a brainwave deck. Maybe he does only kid shows. I don't know Chance but hopefully he doesn't use the name Chance Wolf in his shows. That makes him sound kinda jacko.

16th Review - Phil Plus by Trevor Duffy & Phil Goldstein

2005-04-18T23:19:00.000-07:00

I came across positive reviews on this and decided to bang my buck. Well it was worth it! You actually get your money's worth of "more" than just a deck of cards . Instantly resettable and great for table-to-table work. It is impossible for one to make this deck up (not even Joe Jerker himself unless he owns some printing machine of some sort). And the premise to layman is kinda 'cute', not something they'd expect:

A spectator is asked to merely think of a card. After a moment of thought, performer exclaims, "The name of your card is "LUCY!" The audience naturally looks surprised, so the magician, with a grin says, "Well, I said I'd 'name' it, didn't I?!"
Then more seriously, he says, "No, I'm kidding - what did you actually think of?" "The seven of clubs," (for instance), answers the spectator. Immediately the magician says, "That's right; Lucy is the seven of clubs! - let me explain." The pack is then removed from the box, face up. The seven of clubs is found, removed and laid face up on the table. (The name is not revealed yet). The deck is then turned face down and shown to have a variety of names printed on the back of each card. You say, "This card is the nine of diamonds. If you had thought of the nine of diamonds it would be Fred, but you didn't." "The seven of clubs ...(turn it over) is LUCY!" This is enough to amaze the audience. But with phil plus, there's more:
Offer to repeat the trick. "I know what you are thinking - that is just a clever trick. So I'll tell you what, let's do it again. Only this time, I'll think of a card and you name it for me!"
After a moment of thought, the magician writes it down on a piece of paper and places it under a glass. He then asks the spectator to think of any lady's name with four letters. When the name is selected, find it and turn it face up. Finally, turn over the paper to show the same card as on his named card!

Here's why it sucks very very little:
- You almost need a surface to place the card on, not becase you really have to , but to do without is very risky indeed
- The cards don't come on bicycle backs which some magicians might prefer. But that is no issue really.
Overall, a thumbs up. This is totally self-contained, easy to perform and well well worth the money compared to some $699 shit you might get out there (except for The Fucker Waller by R Paw Weeson, a Real Magic Reviews exclusive). Get this now if you've been hesitating.

Why Its So Difficult to Get Hold of Cassidy

2005-04-16T02:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the real reason. Some cracko nut is actually after his ass. Cassidy's on the move, hiding himself from this nut. The last I heard was "You know when I get you, your ass's gonna get SHATTERED!"

The Fucker Wallet by R Paw Weeson

2005-04-13T02:22:00.000-07:00

At Real Magic Reviews, we had the personal pleasure of witnessing this effect first-time last March.

Our close and gay friend R.Paw Weeson has devised an ingenious wallet, that looks like an ordinary wallet yet feels like a real man's asshole, all you do is take out your prick, shove it up the zipper and you're on your way to blow their minds, or rather faces. With this wallet you don't even need to fake the spit, just turn the flap around and you've got The Juice (available also at Real Magic Reviews at an affordable price), thanks to the ingenious design by master craftsman Joe Jerker himself. What else could you perform better at a gay bar.

Not only that, The Fucker Wallet allows you to perform miracles at a moment's notice. Bend coins, vanish rings, suck dick, fake orgasm, fuck assholes and perform magic only limited by your imagination.

R. Paw Weeson's Fucker Wallet is a precision manufactured tool from master craftsman Joe Jerker, and one you can be assured of carrying with you at all times. With Jerker, you can be assured of the quality of this fucker! If you can open a wallet, you can perform the effect -- it's THAT easy to use! Only 35 will be available. Manufactured in high-quality, leather and made to last a lifetime, the Fucker Wallet is the king of wallets. In fact as you read this, we've sold 6 already.

Real Magic Reviews thanks R. Paw Weeson for allowing us the exclusive on this exciting and exceptional new revolutionary effect and method!

Please note that this is a non-discounted item and is not subject to any said sales, discounts, etc.
Disclaimer: Please not be misleaded by unscrupulous dealers who price the Wallet @US$699.95. At US$999.95 the price's a steal for this baby!

Best Regards
Paul Giusti - i thought that was gross
Mike Gross - No shit that was me
Jason Britain - Fuck you both, just concentrate on writing better ad copy

Disclaimer: I've nothing against Hocus-Pocus. The above is meant as a joke, really. Don't take it too hard.

15th Review - Die-A-Bolic by Lubor Fiedler

2005-04-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

From the moment I received the die and read the instructions I fell in love with this, completely. In fact I ranked it as one of my best purchases. Until much later, I discovered that it had negative reviews by most people on TMC. At first I thought it was strange but I suppose you get all kinds of strange people posting there so what the heck. Stranger still, Bob Cassidy did include the use of the die in one of his published routines (at least one if I recall correctly). I have always respected this man's views and ideas. Now if you're reading this and if you think the die sucks I couldn't care less. In fact I'd make an exception for Bob; even if he finds the die shit, I'm still sticking to my opinion - this die rocks!

The Effect: Someone rolls the die and remembers the number on top. Before you requested the die to be freely spun or another no set on top so you could not possibly know. But yet you could. No electronics!

Why It Sucks Very Little:
The ink/color/printing on die may come off after some time. But that's not an issue really. One can easily paint or fix that with some marker.

Why You Should Buy It:
A very diabolical self-contained die. The die is of normal size. Though its body black and spots white the die looks perfectly ordinary. I guess the reason why most people disfavor this is because they didn't have a good enough routine in using it, hence justifying the 'move'.

I Can't Help But Agree - What Makes A Good...

2005-04-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

Magician or more so Mentalist?...Be enlightened here.

My only 2 cents worth is this; tape your own show/performance and watch it yourself - now, what da ya think?

It's all about YOU, not just your goddamn $699.95 fucking wallet!!!

Coming Up
1. The Fucking Wallet by Raw Paw Weeson @999.99, a Real Magic Reviews exclusive!
2. 15th Review - Die-A-Bolic

14th Review - Roentgen Box by Lubor Fiedler

2005-04-05T23:45:00.000-07:00

Now Lubor is one of the most creative inventors out there. The effect is classic - the revelation uppermost no of a die hidden in a completely opaque box (and btw everything can be examined till dawn) . No questions asked.

Why This Sucks, albeit the Clever Principle:
While the method is clever, it would be impractical for 2 reasons; sometimes it just doesn't work and secondly it makes you 'feel and smell' dirty. And trust me you will be when performing this often. Definitely not ideal for table-hopping. The box is a little odd shape and the die is made of metal. I know this sounds a bit contradictory but reset is almost an instant.

Why You Probably Want to Buy It:
If you are a fan of Tenyo-typed of product and would like to collect mental magic props, you probably should get it. I am sure you'll appreciate the thinking behind this. I doubt it will ever be produced again. Unfortunately though clever, the method isn't as practical for working conditions.

Did I Regret My Purchase?
Honestly, no. Again, kudos to the ingenuity of the thinking behind. I'll still be as proud to own and take it out of the drawer some day, just like one of those original fucking LEDs in thumb tips I paid US25 each for.

Worth the price? You decide.

Intensely Magic & Magic Den

2005-03-30T09:04:00.000-08:00

Shout out to Intensely Magic, and for those who'd prefer less abusive language do visit there often. The author's good some pretty good posts so far. And Magic Den has got an interesting post on Ammar's Easy-To-Master series worth a second thought.

And they call him Brother John

2005-03-29T08:08:00.000-08:00

Was Bill Clinton a Magician?

Don't ask me; ask Hocus-Pocus. Perhaps that's why they call it No 1 Cigar. Its a perfect smoke (double reality and speak). Now wait, is that why there's a 'Cunt'on Knepper ring behind there?

13th Review - Free Will by Deddy Corbuzier

2005-03-29T07:43:00.000-08:00

First, take a look at this guy here. If only Dai Vernon sees him, he might have said " ...someone with a most unoriginal mind in magic ".

At first I was skeptical, but then I bought and played with Free Will. Hell, it works. But I do want to point out that presentation is important for this piece. You're sleight free with this one too. Those who love more of mentalism I bet will like this.

The Effect in essence is that while the participant has a free choice of selecting three different symbols; one for himself, the other for the magician, the other to be kept in a bag the prediction by the magi matches his choices. If you want a more elaborate description, go here

I won't mention the key word to this or it would be deemed exposing (unless if its Kenton I dont care shit) but it uses a principle familiar to everyone, and used twice. No, you can't perform this again to the same audience. The good thing is once you learn this, you can apply it to make your own props, easily.

Why It Sucks A Little:
The props are not top notch, the designs are not very well printed, for mine the printing was blur and the ink sort of faded. But this was not much an issue really. In fact I use that to my advantage.

Now, there will be some that will not be comfortable with the handling, though I urge you try it out. I was skeptical at first, but it worked on a few people I thought who scoffed at it.

12th Review - B'Wave by Phil Goldstein - normal and giant version

2005-03-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

I am a man of my word. This is an eg of a good review, but I guess most you would know this by now. Anyway, the props are almost an instant reset. I have used the former once on a platform show and the latter on various close-up and walk-around performances. Honestly both are workers. If you haven't got it, get them now - quick!

The Effect In Essence: Multiple blows; first, a queen imagined by your participant proves to be the only one face up in a 4 card packet, then to prove you really set that as a prediction aside, you show that it has a different back from the rest. Now comes the whammy - the other 3 cards are turned over and are blank!

Why It Sucks Very Very Little:
The normal version - I thought the prediction with the odd back will come in bicycle stock but it didn't. Personally I thought that will give me the chance to switch if need be.
The Giant version - The cards are made of plastic. I would prefer it in heavy cardboard stock with laminated plastic for easier handling.

Nevertheless, the two points above don't justify why you should not give this a miss. Buy them and thank me afterwards!

Me & My Blog

2005-03-29T07:36:00.000-08:00

Ok, status check. I've assumed you've read some of my reviews so far:

1. I am not a bastard that disrespects magical creativity and likes thrashing people's idea, but if you think that is the case after reading my posts let me apologise. I love magic and I respect individuals who spent labour and time inventing new concepts. SOME of the negative reviews you will see here is because I get sick with them- dealer hype, hard earned cash I paid for, etc. But I am sure most will agree; sometimes you get so worked up getting junk you feel like doing a favor telling all the magicians you know not to get conned.

2. If you want to hear the good points of a marketed effect, read the dealers' ad. They've spent a long time cultivating the art of writing. My reviews are mainly aimed at looking at the negative side of things. But don't get it wrong, negative does not equate to 'it sucks', 'total shit' or the like to everyone. It may be a worker. But this depends on individual. I guess an example would be while most would agree that Kenton Knepper's stuff sucks he has his loyal supporters too. So take note, what you read is my personal humble opinion. If I think it doesn't work, that's because of me. Who knows, maybe I'm a lousy magician.

3. Though the term "Real Magic Reviews" may have set you off thinking you are getting a good balance of good and bad reviews, sorry if you were misinformed. I guess by By Real Magic Reviews I sort of point out to you the downside of the effects, "in reality" that you hardly come across in dealer ads.

Last point worth noting - I review only stuff that I have. And why not - Pagliacci (a good blog to read), suggests that I include some 'real' good reviews. Hey, there ain't that many out there, but there are some I personally feel that are worth mentioning so I may give it a plug.

11th Review - Ghost Gavel by Anonymous

2005-03-28T00:41:00.000-08:00

From the instructions this came from India. No credits nor historical references were given. For a product made in India, I thought the prop is actually not too bad. No pun intended and I am no racist, but most often magic product lines you get from India lack the professional touch, at least to me. But this one's not bad, really.

The Effect (copied from Hocus-Pocus. Highlight the text you want then with IE, go to Edit, then Copy):
The performer displays a Gavel pivoted between two supports on a plain board. The audience can check that the Gavel pivots freely, and there are no strings or other attachments to the Gavel.
The performer holds the board between his hands, clear of the Gavel and can cause it to visibly pivot and knock whenever he wishes! Telling the audience that the Gavel comes from that of a "famous hanging Judge" preserved in Ripley's "Believe it or Not" museum. It animates in a ghostly manner whenever a guilty person appears in the courtroom the judge used to preside in.
The performer further states that the Gavel has the uncanny ability to detect a lie from the truth. Whenever a person lies, the Gavel knocks. You can then use this in a lie detector type of presentation for anything from finding a selected card, to more elaborate mind reading effects.
The possibilities are endless -- use the Gavel as a Spirit hammer, for seances, which knocks once for "Yes" and stays motionless for "No". It can answer questions from members of your audience, that have a simple "yes" or "no" answer.
There are no threads, magnets, batteries, electronics, or pins to worry about in the middle of a performance, but self-contained mechanical miracle that can be handed out for examination before, during, and after performance!

Why It Sucks
While the last sentence of the ad is actually true, it is almost as misleading. The method of getting the gavel to work is inferior compared to, if say electronics is used. Why? Because you will be holding the board and pressing some fucking button from below ! It would far be better if the board can operate on its own via electronics. Think of it this way; you get Glorpy on a wooden board. Though the board is examinable, its fucking obvious to suspect how the board operates.

10th Review - Midori by Phil Goldstein

2005-03-28T00:39:00.000-08:00

No I am not sucking up to him (though you wouldn't be surprised why he didn't mind it - but I do!) I like stuff put out by Phil Goldstein or rather Max Maven. His thinking and plots are mostly clever and original, and this guy's got the right attitude of crediting where's its due, cos he's got a good read. And I respect him. He's like Vernon where mentalism is. Maybe L & L will put out a $1000 set from this guy's when he's gone, who knows.

Back to the effect: The participant is requested to play a simple game of shooting fingers and asked to extend as many fingers he would with one hand, while the other holds on to a prediction chip (unseen by participant). The magi shows some cards with fingers printed on it, where each card has a different no of fingers printed on it and the drawing is of a different color. The card that corresponds to his free choice (ie no of fingers he extends) is shown. It matches the color of the chip the participant holds.

Why It Sucks A Little
Ok, the plot is interesting, the instructions clear and the props supplied are good quality. There's a sleight involved ( no not Elmsley) that I am not very comfortable with, and I bet most people out there feel the same. It makes the handling a little awkward and illogical. Unfortunately it just lacks a more direct and simple handling.

9th Review - Killer Key by Jay Sankey

2005-03-28T00:38:00.000-08:00

From a visual standpoint, the effect looks good, and very visual to me, from a layman's point of view. Put simply, a key and coin transforms from one hand to the other. I think its a worker. Its not difficult for a magician to figure out the principle of how it works. View the demo at Penguin's to figure out how. I bet you can make one of your own, easily.

Why It Sucks
I just don't get it, why is it that all these coin magic sets don't supply you with all the coins needed to perform the effect from start till finish? What a fish - it took me quite a while to get a normal nickel. It would be better if an extra duplicate ungimmicked key is supplied.

Striving to reach Mark

2005-03-23T21:56:00.000-08:00

These people just don't learn. And I think I've finally understood why Mark isn't contactable. They've got his e-mail wrong. It should be MarkyNoMoreApril@aol.com not MarkyApril@aol.com

8th Review - Xpert by Neil Tobin

2005-03-23T21:55:00.000-08:00

Magicwhack hit the nail on the head. Read his post here.

I won't go into much details here. Personally I don't see why Xpert is that good. Honestly it is well produced though, and the price ain't that high. But really how many magicians really carry it around? And I hate the idea that it'll run out one day.

Let me repeat; you get a dry erase sharpie pen and some routines in a booklet. The routines are not that bad actually, though most of them will get your fingers dirty rubbing off the ink. For those who don't know, you cannot rub dry erase ink off your bicycle cards due to its surface properties.

A good marketing tip here though; If you market a prop as an utility item, I guess you could claim that its use is limited by creativity. But then again, most prop double up an utility item right? Like using Kenton's manuscripts as toilet paper.

7th Review - Completely Cold

2005-03-23T21:54:00.000-08:00

A mistake go unnoticed even by the master of language himself; the title should be Kompletely Kold, as most of his items begin with a K somewhat. I know, he's such a Kock and Kunt to many who have bought his stuff; and this one makes no exception. Krap!

The Effect
You are able to give an accurate reading to someone even without knowing or having prior knowledge of any cold reading techniques.

Says the Kunt:
With language (some words actually) you create the illusion that you are reading the participant and at the same time you get to learn which area of their life concerns them.

How:
1. First understand that anyone's concern could be summarized into 3 possible categories; Health (mental, physical), Wealth (tangible & intangible like knowledge) and Relationships.
2. Understand also that the above 3 categories can be 'interlinked' to one another using words.
3. During a course of a reading, get your sitter to say as many yesses and as many nods (nothing new here, we all know that already)
4. Use the words 'Yes, And' when you've got a hit to enhance your reading. Use the word 'But' when you don't get a hit, followed by an Awareness word like 'Realise' to justify yourself and spin into the correct category.

I think an example will suffice:
Kunton: I see there's something involving wealth here.
Sitter: Er...no. Actually I am worrying about my husband's health
Kunton: But, you should realise that his health will pose implications on wealth issues, much more than you would think
Sitter: Oh I see...
Kunton: Yes, and if things get worse and if he didn't seek professional treatment, things will deteriorate further.
Sitter: I agree with you it can be potentially serious. But you see my husband is very wealthy. He owns a big magic shop that sells crap to magicians across the world. Besides he just inherited a few million US dollars.
Kunton: But, you may not be aware that his health will impact the non physical wealth aspects; like knowledge, learning and attitudes. This in turn, in the long run, will affect money issues as it may adversely affects how he runs his shop
Sitter: Gee...you're good. No wonder he no longer read craps put out by this baldie Knepper guy. Kunton: Yes, and please bear in mind this is not so simple. By the way, is he feeling better now?
Sitter: Well he went to seek treatment with a few specialists but his condition didn't get any better. You see, his problem is he's losing hair and getting bald...
Kunton: Yes, and that's usually an omen from the heavens that things may not be as smooth sailing in time to come.

.. (5 minutes later)...

Sitter: I think I know who you are. You're the baldie Knepper are you?
Kunton: No, I have long hair you see, though it grows on the sides of my bald head. But you're quite right, Mr Napper is my hairstylist.

Enough said. Pay USD40 if you want to know how to use the words and, but and the meaning of awareness words.

6th Review - Real World CSB by Cody Fisher (US64.95@Hocus-Pocus)

2005-03-21T18:03:00.000-08:00

The Ad:
This is quite possibly THE BEST handling for the Copper / Silver / Brass coin trick ever invented. Here are some of the advantages:

All coins are examined in the beginning.
There are three highly visual phases.
The magic happens in the spectator's hand!
There is NO MORE switching of coins in the pocket!
A suprise kicker ending!
You end absolutely clean!

You are supplied with everything you need to perform this intimate miracle. This routine comes complete with:
Gimmicked Goshman coin purse!
Standard Copper / Silver / Brass coin set!
Extra Chinese coin!
Extra Mexican coin!
Complete Audience Tested Routine & Patter

The only thing honest in the above title is what a Cunt and Son of a Bitch (CSB) the guy who wrote the ad. For those who insist that the term should fit Cody better I leave that to you.

Why This Sucks:
1. You see they missed out one important point; you need to be palming (not just once!) It was really misleading and I thought he had one hell of a routine and everything will be clean as it should be. You see NO MORE switching in the pocket is possible because Cody teaches you to switch in your hands. I don't really like coin sleights especially when performing walk around as my palms tend to sweat a lot. So palming is my last resort.
2. You are not supplied with everything though the ad claims so. In the routine, an extra Half Dollar is required, and this is not supplied.
3. The explanations are unclear. There are no photos nor illustrations provided.

Why It Sucks Further:
1. When purchasing the CSB's CSB effect above (no double typo here), I bought his DVD Unforgettable Coin Magic because the routine is performed and explained in it, together with two other routines. Now feeling cheated on the above, I felt cheated having to buy this DVD. Why can't the routine be included in DVD above?
2. Cody is not a good coin guy. His palming doesn't look natural. I am comparing to the likes of Michael Rubinstein, Ammar, Roth. Clearly inferior. I guess all this sums up to is his routine doesn't inspire me.

I'll just stick to the CSB routine I learnt from the magic shop.

Coming up
-the less than one-page description of Completely Cold booklet by Kenton Knepper that'l save you US$40
-Xpert by Neil Tobin...what's this overhyped stuff?

5th Review - Osmosis

2005-03-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

Here's the effect in summary - The magi rubs the outer label of a beer bottle and moments later the label is seen to be reversed and stuck on the inside of the bottle.

Why it sucks
1. For about US45, you get to a beer bottle with the label stuck inside of it, mainly.
2. Not practical on most performing situations. Except when at a bar. You see, it has to appear impromptu or the method becomes fucking obvious. And at those settings, the audience won't have good vision anyway, and would clap no matter what shit you do as long as its not a complete crap.
3. It comes only in Heineken.

What I'd suggest you do:
Complain to your wife/girlfriend that a lot of people are trying to rip off other people's hard earned cash by selling inferior magic on the market. Tell her you love her and wanted to start saving money for her birthday present, and that you'll spend less on magic props and start making and selling some props your own. When she asks how tell her that you've got this great idea about causing the label on beer bottle to penetrate and stuck on the inside of the bottle. All you need to do is ask her to buy some beer for you and peel the label off any bottle, slowly. Apply glue on the cover and slowly insert it into another bottle (empty), adjusting and positioning so it stays where it will align to the outer cover. Peel off the outer cover too and using some wax stick it to the outside of the bottle. It should be obvious from now.

Now you've got a good excuse to buy and drink beer! Now if starts to complain turn things inside out and fuck the shit out of here!

Go visit the Links!

2005-03-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all the guys who have given Real Magic Reviews a shout. A million thanx, and if you are reading this; I urge you to visit the links on the right, in alpha order. More to come. Very funny; very true and enlightening read indeed. Not something you get on a place like The Magic Cafe. Well, not quite. TMC do have very funny posts; especially with Brooksie's picture around. As they say, a good picture tells a thousand words (or pounds in this case!)

Keep the faith; more real reviews coming your way.

An Animal?

2005-03-17T09:57:00.000-08:00

Back to the cute picture below; the one with the big nostrils.

Now I've figured out - this guy is sophisticated. He called himself Dr Zodiac.

Do you know why?

Ans: In the Chinese zodiac system, there is one animal that best represents him - The Pig.

Tongue Twister

2005-03-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

I heard Joe PORPER was a PAUPER that couldn't do PROPER magic so he started selling expensive magic PORPS, the latest being his PORP-EYED PORPER deck, made of aircraft quality aluminium, each individually made PORPERly.

I curse you Joe Porper: May the Magic Makers folks find a good far east manufacturer that could match the quality (or so you claim) of your PORPS, and put the shit out of your business.

4th Review - Mobile Mentalism by Mark Strivings

2005-03-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

From the guy who brings you SUCK and SUCK 2; Mobile Mentalism is a booklet that comes with a casette for an effect that involves numbers.

Now I would agree that 'theater is everything' but the routines and presentation in this booklet lack the creativity of thought and patter. By comparison, it scores ZERO on a 'Maven-Creativity' scale. What more when it comes to the secret or principles. There's almost nothing you could learn here, even if your knowledge of mentalism is rudimentary. There are contributions by others as well.

Now the effect with numbers is basically where a two digit number is thought off and you reveal it. The method - pumping. Now tell me, if he needs to explain the pumping in one cassette, do you think it works, and is it a good routine? It SUCKS!

I bought this thinking that there are a good collection of good walkaround mentalism pieces. But there's nothing different or special here. If you know some good mentalism pieces that plays short and quick, I guess its mobile mentalism then.

If I were you, I'd avoid this, including the new Mobile Mentalism II.

You SUC, but after your wife left you, you SUCII

2005-03-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

Now the story is a little too long to detail here. But folks who have been visiting the Magic Cafe for a while (where the 'owner' insists you only say good things about their coffee) the name Marc Strivings is no stranger. Wait, let me finish the one in paratheses first - well fuck you you owner, the only person that makes the best coffee is me, and no one else.

Back to the no stranger. Literally, his 'case' is strange. Many have been trying to contact him but to no avail, only to hear from him many posts later that he's had a divorce with his wife, April and that things were no smooth sailing, admidst busy schedules. Things are supposed to get better as promised, but he's gone again. Personally I have tried contacting him a few times via e-mail and PMs, and others too. Now they may be few who knew him better and he could be genuinely in deep shit but I think as a responsible and respectable magician (or so it seems) a reply or update is most warranted. All I would say to the genuine people asking for his SUC cases is do yourself a favor by learning a good centre tear or use any other methodology to achieve your intended effect.

Well Mark, I guess your service SUCK, and after your wife left you, your service SUCK TOO!

Thank You

2005-03-17T09:13:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Magic Whack for their kind shout to this blog site. I just can't help but to admire the posts there. Make sure you visit the site at http://magicwhack.blogspot.com/

Now I admit I'm relatively new to the 'blog'munity, and am figuring out some basic stuff. I'd appreciate if you guys could give me a shout. If I've got some reasonable no of visitors I'd be motivated to post more and better reviews.

Now, let me see what's next...

Joke of The Day

2005-03-16T07:20:00.000-08:00

pig?

Question: Are we looking at a pig?
Answer: From the nostril it does seem like, and the 'full-of-himself' certainly qualifies him a place at the sty

3rd Review - Reality Twister by Paul Harris or is he Twisting Reality?

2005-02-26T08:36:00.000-08:00

Rule No 1:
Honestly, people that you sometimes respect for some contributions to magic do occasionally put out crap. And thats what Paul Harris did for this one. Boy, speaking of astonishment this one's for the retarded.

Secret:
You get a cheap looking plastic lense (Lubor lense) , a pre-twisted pen and instruction to tell you that by rotating the lenses, the pen would appear to vanish and appear, only if you look from above. For the climax when you remove the lense the pen is seemed to be twisted.

This is a let down piece of shit that'll probably work better on someone's dick before you suck it, Paul. Get it?

2nd Review - Electronic Airborne Coke

2005-02-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

Another piece of crap. This time its electronic:

For over a hundred bucks, you get an electronic reel (which makes hell of a noise when activated), built inside a plastic coke bottle. What goes on this reel is some black cord that's supposed to simulate coke from a distance. I bet the creator is related to Eduardo Kozuch somehow. Fuck you, you hearing impaired son of a bitch!

Avoid this piece like a plague.

1st Review - Color Cube Demonstration by Eduardo Kozuch

2004-12-28T06:04:00.000-08:00

One word, - crap.

Here's what the ad says:

Three different colored boxes are shown, each with their own respective lids and colored blocks inside. For instance, a green box has a green cube and a green lid, a red box has a red cube and a red lid, and a blue box has a clue cube and a blue lid. The performer either stands with his back turned, is blindfolded, or leaves the room entirely, while the spectator is instructed to place ANY colored cube into ANY colored box, and cover it with ANY colored lid until all the boxes are filled and topped. All the boxes are then rubber banded for security and placed inside a black, ungimmicked, OPAQUE drawstring bag by the spectator all while the performer is out of the room or blindfolded. Immediately, the performer returns and divines which colored cube is nested within which colored box, topped off with which colored cube, all without opening the opaque bags at all! There is no fishing of any kind; the gimmick provides the information for the performer, allowing him to concentrate on the performance itself! Incredibly easy to perform, this is one of those rare effects that works in any performance situation ranging from children's shows to stage presentations! And the best part is that everything can be examined thoroughly by ANYONE, and they will find absolutely nothing.

(And oh, btw this was copied from a popular magic website that disabled right click using your mouse. How did I copy the text then, you ask? Simple, highlight the text, then go to your IE browser's Edit, then Copy or after highlighting press Ctrl+C.

Why is this a con?
From the write-up, it seems you need not touch nor come close to the damn drawstring bag. (reread from the above). Fuck the ad writer! (it cant be Eduardo writing cos the instructions that came with it are written in poor English by himself. Besides a lousy magician like him won't be that sophisticated anyway)

The gimmick when used will produce an audible click, even if you are very careful. If you're a good performer, unlike Eduardo, when you perform, your audience is likely to be paying attention, unless like him you perform for the hearing impaired. However on experimentation a smaller gimmick works fine.

For US75 you get a few colored boxes and a dang magnet!

READ THIS FIRST

2004-12-28T05:57:00.000-08:00

We don't need another blog, and I'm certainly not as talented as the folks of MagicMafia/Whack/Circle Jerk/etc in writing, but I'd like my say on the following:

1. Reviews on conjuring props/books I can get my hands on. Very likely, most of the stuff you get is crap. So don't expect any good reviews here. If its bad, it deserves a thrasing. Also, if I'm damned pissed off with the creator/dealer, I'll be exposing some secrets.

2. Sarcasm/Jokes relating to the magic/mentalist community.

With that in mind, read on...