Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Vision of Love by Mariah Carey
What's better than listening to Vision of Love By Mariah Carey and watching Bill Malone? I say unto you . . . Nothing . . . Unless the Bill Malone being watched is the Malone Meets Marlo series. Does it get any better than that. I say unto you Nay; it does not.
This is disk number three of a six disk set. Let me give a brief review of the whole set which will be found on each review for each disk. Then I'll speak specifically to this disk. First, as mentioned above, it's always a pleasure to watch Bill Malone perform. Add to that the material, and you've got a recipe that any card-loving magician would sacrifice his first-born cat for. This set's purpose, according to Malone, is to 'Bring Marlo's Material Back to Life.' With that comes the bitter/sweet realization that this revival may produce some hacks who won't read the books, but it will also get more people reading the books. Malone spends a bit of time talking about all of the books and original resources for the effects he chose for this series. He re-sparked my interest in Marlo's work, and has inspired me to order one of the few books that I don't own from Marlo, Marlo In Spades.
Malone does an excellent job of teaching these effects and giving proper credit. In the explanation section, as was typical of Mr. Marlo, Malone gave multiple explanations, variations and bonus handling and effects that weren't shown in the performance segments. The only criticism I have for this set is that many of the presentations are of the 'Put and Take' variety, which drives me crazy. However, you still get a generous portion of Malone's crazy style which tempers the Put-and-Take-ness of the presentations. Also, in Malone's defense, he did say, at the beginning of each disk, that he only gave 'basic presentations' with the intent to have us create our own. With that as the background, let's look at disk three:
With each effect, I'll give it a rating on a scale from 1 to 5 (5 is best; 1 is worst) and a little bit of commentary:
Finding My Assistants (4/5)
This is 'spiced up' spectator cuts to the aces. It's super easy to perform, and the set up is simple. This is one of the ones that fooled me twice. Probably the best part about this particular method is the the work on the cut deeper F****. This is the part that fooled me. This idea alone is worth studying this effect, even if you don't do the ace-cutting routine. Additionally, the routine is one of the few where Malone gives you more than 'just a basic presentation.' You get a little bit more of a fun presentation with him and the audience. It's clear that this one has been in his repertoire for quite a while.
Spectator Cuts The Aces II and More (3/5)
Yet another spectator cuts to the aces routine. This one has a couple of nice key Kodak moments, if you will. The handling is very clean and very clever. You also get two more bonus methods. Although the bonus methods are not as groovy as the primary method, they're still clever. The third bonus idea is probably a magician fooler, but requires a certain performing environment (think 'Slydini').
Push-Thru Failure (with Skinners Phase) (3.5/5)
I like this one a lot, but the middle phase is a little fidgety and doesn't flow well. However the 1st and last phase are nice. The last one in particular is a great finale and fooled me again.
Think-Touch-Turn (4/5)
This is a fun banter-y piece with a selection and the aces. It's pretty to watch, and it's pretty smooth.
Instant Mental Sandwich (4/5)
The impact of this is stunning. It's not the easiest move to master, but if you do, you'll have a miracle. In Malone's hands it's beautiful. There is one minor thing that bothered me in the explanation. I can't really say much without revealing the method, but let me just say that the set up for this effect puts you in position for a miracle outcome that Malone doesn't mention. In fact, if you do exactly what he says during the set up, you will screw up the effect 1 out of 52 times.
The Deal Switch (4/5)
This is basically the same effect as the one above (a mentally thought of card appears between two face-up queens that have been sitting in front of the spectator the whole time). This one is a bit more angle-y, but the effect looks so much cleaner and so much more impossible.
The Gambler Outdone (4/5)
This one's a bit technically demanding and uses a minor set up. However, it just may be worth it. It's beautiful to watch, and Malone completely fooled me with a move that we ALL do ALL the Time. I can't believe I fell for it. It just goes to show you that presentation is everything. His presentation and patter allowed this move to slide right by me. If you're a fan of the Gambler vs. Magician plot, then you'll want to check this one out.
A Sixy Trick (4/5)
I really like this one. It has some great lines and very funny presentation potential. It's a bit technically demanding, but worth it.
Ed Marlo's Comedy Classic (5/5)
This one made me laugh out loud multiple times. It's very similar in effect to Sixy Trick, but much easier and a lot funnier. This is another one that I'll be experimenting with in my casual repertoire.
Everready Black Routine (4/5)
Alright. I confess, I was totally fooled again by this one. This is an effect made more for magicians, and the presentation is pretty bland, but seems impossible. You have to be able to do a perfect faro, but will totally fry magicians. I still haven't quite mastered the faro. If I could do the faro, I'd be doing this one next week to my magic buddies. However, if you're not a fan of the faro, I don't know that this effect justifies the time to learn the faro. Also, you can still do 2 of the 3 phases without the faro.
Open Air Assembly (4/5)
This is a pretty clean open travelers-style routine. It does not use any extra cards, but is a little angle-y. Also, if you're familiar with Open Travelers by Jennings or Harris's work on the plot, you've seen the invisible palm 'lay down' move. Malone does this move better than anyone I've ever seen. It' really looks like his just places his hand on the card, and when he lifts up, there's another one. One thing I don't like, however, about this version is that the magic moments seem to decrease in impact as the routine progresses. Also, I felt Malone rushed through the performance and squashed many of the magic moments.
Eight-Card Oil and Water (3/5)
Crap! Another one that fooled me twice. The third phase completely nailed me; it's one of the coolest and visual moments of magic I've seen in a long time. Those who know me, know that I'm not a fan of the oil and water plot, and this isn't even best version out there, but there are some clean moments/highlights in this routine that you don't see in others. The third phase, in particular, is just beautiful and looks like real magic. I thing this move alone is worth learning for the many other possible uses it could have. Also, this version only uses 8 cards, the four red and four black. There are no hidden or extra cards.
Refined Oil and Water (4/5)
This one is a little prettier but not as 'pure' since you use an extra card. However, there are some great visuals that you can't get when using no extras. All-in-all, this version is a bit easier and a bit more visual.
If I were to rate this volume strictly on the presentations, I'd give it a 3.9 (the average of each effect's rating) out of 5. However, if you include the history, the stories, the bonus ideas, alternate handling along with the privilege of seeing old Marlo material come to life, I would rate it at least a 4.5 out of 5.
I might give it a 5 if it were priced a little better. I think this could have easily been a 4 disk set rather than a 6 disk set without cutting any material.
Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of GEM.