Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: The Talisman by Iron Maiden
Defiance by Mariano Goni Review:
One gimmick, 2 hours and $40 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned.
Effect
Make stuff float and move. There are 3 featured effects plus one "bonus" effect. The three featured are 1)Toss a borrowed credit card out in front of you and it spins in place. Then at your command, it comes spinning back to you. 2) Floating bill where you can pass a borrowed hoop (i.e., a bracelet or large earring, etc.) over the bill as it floats. 3) A floating piece of "tissue" paper is lit on fire and bursts into flames leaving behind a dollar bill still floating in mid air. The bonus effect is a floating cigarette that floats in the middle of a table (or whatever surface). You can then borrow a finger ring and pass it over the cigarette.
Method
Every effect uses a common element for the method: I.T.R. (ITR) Included with the DVD is an updated design on the ITR. What you're really learning are new hook ups. They range from the super simple to the tricky and almost not practical. The hook up for the spinning credit card is somewhere in between. It can be set up on the fly sort of, but it's a little awkward. But nothing that can't be overcome with some practice. The floating bill is a "permanent" hook up that is very simple, but it's clever enough to allow you to very cleanly pass a borrowed hoop over the bill as it floats.
The mid air change hook up is smart and clever, but requires a hook up to be set up somewhere else in the room. This is fine for set shows, semi-formal house party, parlor, etc. This one, however, cannot be done in a strolling setting. In the video, Goni does this one while seated at a couch. Though he claims that it's an ideal setting, that's ridiculous. You have a hook up running right in front of you that spans the length of the couch. This means that first, after you set it up, you have to duck and scoot your way under the set up to sit on the couch. Then you have to stay there until you do the effect. Third, nobody else can sit on the couch because they'll break the hook up.
However, doing this in a stand up setting which he also teaches, is the ideal. The method and hook up and handling are very doable, and can stay in place during the whole act and can be used any time during the show. The object that magically appears when the "tissue" paper is burned can be a borrowed and (earlier in the show) vanished small object (e.g., finger ring, etc.).
The bonus effect, floating cigarette, is the nearly impractical set up. It requires you to heavily gimmick a cigarette in advance. You also have to have everything set up "just so" on the table in order to do this effect. There is a suggestion on how to get the table set up "on the fly" in front of the spectators, but it's very finicky and very iffy. The method is still doable, but not the most practical effect. It's the type of thing that is "meant" for a close up audience while hanging out with friends. You can't do it as a strolling magician.
Ad Copy Integrity
All in all, the ad copy is pretty solid. However, one relatively big issue is the claim regarding the floating cigarette. They claim that both the ring and cigarette are examinable. That's not true. The cigarette is not examinable. Goni offers a way to switch in and switch out the cigarette, so that it appears to be a borrowed cigarette and it appears to be handed out at the end of the routine. However, the switches are a bit awkward, and not as clean as they should be for an effect where you're claiming the objects can be examined. Other than that, the ad copy is fine.
Product Quality
This DVD is 2 hours long . . . it was way too long and hard to watch at a few places. It was well shot, well mic'd, well lit, easy to navigate, but just a bit long. Each explanation for each effect was about 20 minutes long. I think they could've shortened them up quite a bit. On the positive side, I've never seen a more in depth tutorial on the use of ITR. They covered repair, lighting, tensioning, hook ups, replacement, clothing, out door usage, audience distance and more. I found that very informative. It was a bit dry, but informative.
The ITR itself is excellent. It's a new design that is better than all of its predecessors of this size (about 4.5 inches long). This is true for one big reason . . . when the "you know what" breaks (as happens when doing this kind of magic) to regain access to it is easier than any other version I've seen. No more blowing and sucking on the hole in your ITR to regain access to the loose end. Sorry if that's a bit confusing for those who don't know what an ITR is.
The DVD comes with the ITR and some sticky things for mounting it on various surfaces. Plus, it can, of course, be pinned to your body as per standard ITRs. It was also supposed (so they claimed on the video) to come with some hard wax, but it did not. There are a few things that can't be done without the extra (un-supplied) wax. It's not the end of the world. I've got plenty of wax, and if you use ITRs or just I.T., you probably have plenty as well.
Final Thoughts
I was a bit disappointed in many aspects of this product. One of the first things that really bothered me was there were no real world performance clips. Every effect started with him walking through it or with a studio performance. When showing the hook up, he always just walked through it and talked us through it as he did it. He didn't really do any "at speed" performances. They were all studio walk/talk throughs. Whenever I see this, it makes me question the practicality and even the legitimacy of the method. Seeing some real world examples of him setting up in front of the spectators in real time would have gone a long way to lend credibility to the practicality of it all.
That said, the hook ups are all doable. Some are just a little more restricted by the venue. Further, the ITR itself is very well made. Those alone, typically, can run about $40 bucks or more. Looking at the big picture, I can give this a good rating because the ITR is excellent. Also, the hook ups taught are very clever, and usable if you're in the right setting. The floating bill will work in any venue, easily. The spinning credit card will work in most venues, but will take some practice to manage and get the on the fly hook up mastered. The mid air change will only work in a set show where you have it hooked up before the show starts and nobody will get in your performance area before the show starts. The floating cigarette is almost the kind of thing where you just have it set up at home for when people come over. Getting into position is a little bit contrived, but still, it has its place.
Final Verdict:
4 Stars with a Stone Status of gem.