Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: No Remorse by Metallica
One of the banes of being a reviewer is that if you're too harsh you get accused of being a jerk, yet if you're too nice, you get accused of being a butt shark (that's Navy speak for brown-noser). That being the case, I've decided to throw caution to the wind (as you may know if you read my reviews) and just say what I think . . . No Remorse (thank you Metallica), no regrets . . . say what I mean, and mean what I say and not care what I'm accused of.
With that premise in mind, let me begin by saying that I know that Karrell Fox is regarded as a legend by many and respected by even more. Heck, the title of this DVD is Karrell Fox: The Legend. After watching this DVD, I get, to some degree, his legendary status. He's clever, good at simplifying method (something I'm a huge fan of) and a pretty decent performer. There are some things about his performance style that I find creepy yucky. It won't impact my review, but I want to be clear that magicians should steer clear of this kind of behavior.
The constant touching, hugging and hand holding (literally) of the two female spectators is yucky and an inappropriate violation of personal space. Then of course the classic pervert trick that gives magicians the well deserved reputation of being desperate and lonely: give me a kiss on my cheek . . . the magician turns just in time to rob the women by forcing her to kiss him on the lips. Don't do this!
Off the soap box and on to the DVD
The DVD appears to be an older VHS that has been remastered and/or converted to a DVD, so the production value is a bit less than your typical L&L DVD. However, there's really no major issues here. The DVD runs about 50 minutes and has a lot of material in it . . . ranging from "that's pretty good" to "that's pretty incredible." There are a couple of "really . . . you put that on here?" effects, but all in all the material is solid.
You get a few things you may have seen before, some stuff that you probably have not seen before, and some excellent ideas on updating/streamlining/improving/etc. other ideas. There are 14 effects. That's a lot of material to cover in a 50 minute DVD, and this problem shows itself a couple of times during the explanations. For example, the Mene-Tekel Book Test, while a clever premise and a workable method, you're never really taught how to use it. Sure, Mr. Fox explains the gimmick and sort of brushes through how to make gimmick, but he does not show you how to use it in performance. In fact during the performance, he couldn't have used that method without getting caught.
Lest I get ahead of myself, let's dive into the individual effects:
The Close Up Stuff:
X-Ray Glasses (4.5 Stars):
I can just about guarantee you've seen someone perform this, but just in case, let me just say that this has the potential to be a very funny and extremely entertaining piece of magic, and requires just about no work (as far as method goes) on the performers part.
Flip-Over Cards (3.5 Stars):
This is more of an idea on how to use matchbooks as a prop to enhance the visibility and visual nature of a basic card effect. It's a pretty idea and has a lot of possible uses . . . definitely worthy of consideration.
Why Not? Papers 2 Bills (4.5 Stars):
This is yet another version of turning paper into money. The advantage of this method is that you get a very visual change of the bills and a very clean display of the bills after the change, and a very clean display of the paper before the change. There's not extra thickness to conceal as in many versions. The disadvantage: you can only show the bills on one side. However, the illusion that you've seen both sides is very good. Like most methods, you can't hand out the bills to be examined. However, this is a very good method and a very easy method. It's definitely worth considering. It's especially good for a stand up version because the bills are held vertically (i.e., parallel to your body) rather than parallel to the floor.
Loop Lift (2 Stars):
This is nothing new. It's a standard simple cut and restored rope that everyone learned from a cereal box as a kid. The only thing that might be worthy of note (by probably not) is the way he rings in the extra loop of rope . . . but even that isn't that impressive.
Mene-Tekel Book Test (2.5 Stars):
As mentioned earlier, this is an idea that may have potential, but I'm not sure how you could actually use the method in front of an audience and he doesn't teach you.
Papa-Rose (4.5 Stars):
This is a beautiful effect, and if done more smoothly than Mr. Fox, it would look even more amazing. The one neccessary move required for this was very obvious. However, it's a very doable move that could look much better with some fine-tuning. Essentially, the is a blooming rose from your bare hands . . . killer. The idea and the method are so simple and the effect could have be a real reputation maker.
Sealed Stab Prediction (4.5 Stars):
This is one of the best ideas on the DVD. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I felt that it was used in a pretty bland way. However, the method is so clean and so impossible seeming that it's a must learn effect. You can apply this method to many different ideas with just a little bit of imagination.
Jig-Saw Cards (4.5 Stars):
Another excellent idea that plays big and has the potential for a lot of presentational ideas and interaction with the audience. The method is one of the cleanest you'll ever see. In short, a card is selected (freely) and it along with 9 other cards are torn into fourths and dumped into a paper back. The pieces really go into the bag, and the audience can mix the pieces. Yet you can reach into the bag and without looking, instantly remove the four pieces of the chosen card. You can do it naked with no preparation and a borrowed deck. Killer idea.
The Stand Up Stuff:
All of the effects in the stand up section were just quickly walked through or talked about, and because of that, you don't get a real sense of how it would play with a real audience and some of the nuances of the effect and method are lost. The explanations are just half walked through with very little thought to actually teaching it . . . it was more like a quick exposure of the gimmick or the method than it was a teaching/learning experience. Some starage was deducted for this.
Cane to Wand/Cane to Rope (3.5 Stars):
This is a cool idea on how to use a Cane-To-Silk as something other than a cane to a silk. The rope version was barely explained and not enough information was given to actually use the idea. The wand version was pretty good and pretty visual but needs a little something more to the method than taught if you really want this to deceive.
Flash-Strip (4 Stars):
This is a pretty clever method for a torn and restored strip of paper. If you have a need for such an effect, consider this method. It's clean, visual and fast.
Magachange (3.5 Stars):
This piece certainly dates the original air date. It uses a Time Magazine with Reagan on the Cover. This is essentially a magazine transpo. You have two magazines with different covers. The are placed in two different places, and then magically change places. The effect is pretty simple, though it uses a method that the audience might guess. However, it's cool enough that I might actually give it a try. However, the so called explanation is very quick and doesn't teach you anything. It basically exposes the gimmick without telling you how to make it. You can likely figure it out, but it's the kind of thing that requires a bit of nuance that could be shared by someone who has made a few of these gimmicks . . . but alas, we receive none of this.
Sonuva Switch (0 Stars):
A crappy so-called version of McCombical Prediction By Billy McComb. Trust me on this one . . . stick with the original and skip this one. This one is awkward, obvious in method and basically removes all of the elements of comedy from the original.
A Two-Fisted Book Test (3 Stars):
This is a good idea. In fact, I've been using a similar method in a book test for years. However, there is no performance of it. He just talks through it. Then in the explanation, he brings in another prop that was never mentioned in the performance. It's a bit unclear why the other prop was involved which is a problem if you decide to perform this. All in all, a good idea that isn't taught well . . . a common theme found throughout this DVD.
Silkut (1.5 Stars):
This is an ok idea, but the handling is so awkward and so un-pretty that it's basically unusable. The restore is nice looking, but the work to get there and the fumbling to get there ain't worth it folks. I'd skip this one.
Final Thoughts:
The average of all the tricks combined is 3.3 stars . . . not bad. Subtract a little for the lack of teaching. Add a little for having 14 effects on a $35 video. Then consider that the tagline accurately claims: "Fun, Easy Entertaining Magic YOU can do!"
Final Verdict:
3.5 Stars with a Stone Status of gem.