Card Stunts by Gregory Wilson
The Official Spam-
The DVD-
The Layout-
I personally love the layout of the DVD. It differs from Pyrotechnic Pasteboards in the aspect that it shows his whole show, with no cuts in-between effect to announce the name of the effect he's about to perform. It shows the whole show, then the explanations, in the same order as they appeared in his show.
Play-
This option lets you go through the whole DVD from start to finish, starting with performances, then the explanations.
Performances-
When you click on this button, it goes to another screen with a list of all the effects. From here you are able to see the effects, starting with the one you select from the menu, and going towards the end after that.
Explanations-
This feature does the same thing as the "Performance" button, except with the explanations.
The Effects-
Heavyweight Boxing-
Greg does his standard "office patter" as he pulls the deck from his pocket. He takes the deck out of the box, and puts the box into his pocket. Visually, the box appears back around the deck. Greg once again removes the box and places it in his pocket. This time, even more visually, the box pops up around the deck. Then, the box visually disappears as he takes the deck out.
Wow. As the first (well, second, apart from the demo) effect I've seen from this DVD, I had a good impression first off. This is a very visual effect, but you do have to gimmick a couple of boxes. I have yet to do it, but I think it will be worth every minute of "construction".
Phoenix Split-
While pattering about blackjack and gambling in general, Greg shuffles the deck, and deals down two "twos" from the top of the deck. He calls it the "ballerina hand" (figure it out yourself!), and asks what the blackjack players in the audience would do if they were dealt this hand. He says that he would split, and visually splits the twos into the four Aces.
I like this as an Ace production, but with the next part, it requires a sleight I'm no good at as of yet, so it would be pointless to perform this without continuing into the next effect. It is pretty neat, though.
Reset With a Hook-
We've all seen Paul Harris' great effect "Reset" from his series "Art of Astonishment". This is the exact same effect, but better. Greg visually pulls four Jacks from mid air... with his sleeves rolled up and hands shown empty. Then, he performs Reset (looks the exact same), and ends up with four perfect blackjack hands.
I've always loved Reset, but I can't really perform this whole effect because of the production of the Jacks. However, the rest is great, and I absolutely love it.
Boomerang Card of Death-
A card is selected, and shown to awesomely shoot out of the middle of the pack. Then, two cards are selected and lost in the pack. Then, the formerly selected card is shot from the deck, through the air, and lands face up in the deck between the two previously selected and lost cards.
This is a very knacky effect, and DOES NOT work 100% percent of the time. As Greg says, it works about 87.5% of the time. :wink: If you already learned the LDS like I had (from his other DVD "Pyrotechnic Pasteboards"), this won't take too long to get down. The sleights themselves are simple, but it just won't work all the time... you'll see what I mean if you get it. However, this is a great effect, and Greg himself says that it is bar-none the best effect on the DVD... I agree. Definitely one of my favorite effects.
Boxspring-
The pack is placed back inside the box, and the four Aces magically come out of the deck and into your hand... one at a time.
Meh. It's cool, but not something I would use. The routine itself is pretty good, but I can't see myself using it. The great thing about this routine, though, is that for those people that suspect a card on the back of the box cleverly camouflaged as the box... they can feel it and make sure there's no card there!
Joke in the Box-
At the beginning of the effect, the Joker removed and placed into the middle, just to make sure Greg isn't cheating with it on the top or something. He spreads the cards across the table, and a card is seen in the corner, under the card box. It is, of course the Joker. So then Greg puts the box back down, and puts the Joker in the middle of the pack. Once again, it appears under the box. So Greg decides to do it a different way by putting the box in the middle of the table so everybody can see it. This time, as a finale, the Joker goes inside the box!
I like this effect, and especially like that the card can be signed and it is completely impromptu. Supposedly the motive for this effect was so the card didn't get wet under the drink in "Card Under Glass". Meh, I don't really get it. Water's not going to hurt the cards that much. That being said, it is still a great effect, but I can't do it right now because of a certain sleight towards the last climax of the effect.
G Force-
After selecting a card three times in a row (no silly cuts or riffles, just a spread), the card is placed on the table and under the box for people to keep an eye on. Another card is selected, and lost in the middle. Greg does a fancy cut, and reveals the top card... instead of being the second selected card, though, it is the card that is placed under the box! The one under the box is, of course, the second selection.
Wow. This is very close to being my favorite effect on the DVD... coming in at a close second. It requires no duplicates, no duplicates, nothing like that. Plus, you will get tons of laughs with the Classic Force... it's the best! This and Boomerang Card of Death are both worth the cost of the DVD alone, I think.
Revelation in Spades-
I'm not going to take the time to explain the performance of this effect... go watch the demo video for the DVD if you want to see it! What I will say is that this is definitely a knuckle busting routine, and will take tons of practice... but it should be worth it.
Overall Thoughts-
This is one of those DVDs that I enjoyed the performance section just as much, if not more than the explanations. Greg is supremely entertaining, and is my favorite magician as of right now. However, as great of a teacher as he was on Pyrotechnic Pasteboards, his teaching lacks on this one. He seems to rush through things, like he has to be somewhere. A lot of the sleights are knacky and hard, so be prepared to practice. There is also a great bonus effect in his show, but he doesn't teach it. All of that negativity, though, and I still absolutely love this DVD. Get it!
8.5/10
The Official Spam-
The DVD-
The Layout-
I personally love the layout of the DVD. It differs from Pyrotechnic Pasteboards in the aspect that it shows his whole show, with no cuts in-between effect to announce the name of the effect he's about to perform. It shows the whole show, then the explanations, in the same order as they appeared in his show.
Play-
This option lets you go through the whole DVD from start to finish, starting with performances, then the explanations.
Performances-
When you click on this button, it goes to another screen with a list of all the effects. From here you are able to see the effects, starting with the one you select from the menu, and going towards the end after that.
Explanations-
This feature does the same thing as the "Performance" button, except with the explanations.
The Effects-
Heavyweight Boxing-
Greg does his standard "office patter" as he pulls the deck from his pocket. He takes the deck out of the box, and puts the box into his pocket. Visually, the box appears back around the deck. Greg once again removes the box and places it in his pocket. This time, even more visually, the box pops up around the deck. Then, the box visually disappears as he takes the deck out.
Wow. As the first (well, second, apart from the demo) effect I've seen from this DVD, I had a good impression first off. This is a very visual effect, but you do have to gimmick a couple of boxes. I have yet to do it, but I think it will be worth every minute of "construction".
Phoenix Split-
While pattering about blackjack and gambling in general, Greg shuffles the deck, and deals down two "twos" from the top of the deck. He calls it the "ballerina hand" (figure it out yourself!), and asks what the blackjack players in the audience would do if they were dealt this hand. He says that he would split, and visually splits the twos into the four Aces.
I like this as an Ace production, but with the next part, it requires a sleight I'm no good at as of yet, so it would be pointless to perform this without continuing into the next effect. It is pretty neat, though.
Reset With a Hook-
We've all seen Paul Harris' great effect "Reset" from his series "Art of Astonishment". This is the exact same effect, but better. Greg visually pulls four Jacks from mid air... with his sleeves rolled up and hands shown empty. Then, he performs Reset (looks the exact same), and ends up with four perfect blackjack hands.
I've always loved Reset, but I can't really perform this whole effect because of the production of the Jacks. However, the rest is great, and I absolutely love it.
Boomerang Card of Death-
A card is selected, and shown to awesomely shoot out of the middle of the pack. Then, two cards are selected and lost in the pack. Then, the formerly selected card is shot from the deck, through the air, and lands face up in the deck between the two previously selected and lost cards.
This is a very knacky effect, and DOES NOT work 100% percent of the time. As Greg says, it works about 87.5% of the time. :wink: If you already learned the LDS like I had (from his other DVD "Pyrotechnic Pasteboards"), this won't take too long to get down. The sleights themselves are simple, but it just won't work all the time... you'll see what I mean if you get it. However, this is a great effect, and Greg himself says that it is bar-none the best effect on the DVD... I agree. Definitely one of my favorite effects.
Boxspring-
The pack is placed back inside the box, and the four Aces magically come out of the deck and into your hand... one at a time.
Meh. It's cool, but not something I would use. The routine itself is pretty good, but I can't see myself using it. The great thing about this routine, though, is that for those people that suspect a card on the back of the box cleverly camouflaged as the box... they can feel it and make sure there's no card there!
Joke in the Box-
At the beginning of the effect, the Joker removed and placed into the middle, just to make sure Greg isn't cheating with it on the top or something. He spreads the cards across the table, and a card is seen in the corner, under the card box. It is, of course the Joker. So then Greg puts the box back down, and puts the Joker in the middle of the pack. Once again, it appears under the box. So Greg decides to do it a different way by putting the box in the middle of the table so everybody can see it. This time, as a finale, the Joker goes inside the box!
I like this effect, and especially like that the card can be signed and it is completely impromptu. Supposedly the motive for this effect was so the card didn't get wet under the drink in "Card Under Glass". Meh, I don't really get it. Water's not going to hurt the cards that much. That being said, it is still a great effect, but I can't do it right now because of a certain sleight towards the last climax of the effect.
G Force-
After selecting a card three times in a row (no silly cuts or riffles, just a spread), the card is placed on the table and under the box for people to keep an eye on. Another card is selected, and lost in the middle. Greg does a fancy cut, and reveals the top card... instead of being the second selected card, though, it is the card that is placed under the box! The one under the box is, of course, the second selection.
Wow. This is very close to being my favorite effect on the DVD... coming in at a close second. It requires no duplicates, no duplicates, nothing like that. Plus, you will get tons of laughs with the Classic Force... it's the best! This and Boomerang Card of Death are both worth the cost of the DVD alone, I think.
Revelation in Spades-
I'm not going to take the time to explain the performance of this effect... go watch the demo video for the DVD if you want to see it! What I will say is that this is definitely a knuckle busting routine, and will take tons of practice... but it should be worth it.
Overall Thoughts-
This is one of those DVDs that I enjoyed the performance section just as much, if not more than the explanations. Greg is supremely entertaining, and is my favorite magician as of right now. However, as great of a teacher as he was on Pyrotechnic Pasteboards, his teaching lacks on this one. He seems to rush through things, like he has to be somewhere. A lot of the sleights are knacky and hard, so be prepared to practice. There is also a great bonus effect in his show, but he doesn't teach it. All of that negativity, though, and I still absolutely love this DVD. Get it!
8.5/10
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You'll learn new presentation ideas, and the effects are just plain cool, but Wilson is a bit quick in his explanations. I recommend if you are good with cards. If you are not, hold out a bit. But, just the performance... oh man... its worth the price. 