Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: All Out of Love By Air Supply

Stephen Tucker . . . I ain't never hear-d of 'em. Too bad for me, because he's a very clever guy, and I understand that he's published quite a bit of stuff. I wished I'd heard of him sooner.

Thoughts on Product Quality:

This DVD is well produced. The menu is clean and easy to navigate. For $40.00 you get 10 effects, 1 gimmick and a pretty decent interview of Tucker by David Forrest. You're also supposed to get a pdf on the DVD, but try as I might, I cannot find the pdf. However . . . it's not a big loss. It was a pdf that had something that would take me 5 minutes to reproduce in MS Word. The lighting was a bit off in some spots and the sound was also a bit low, but all in all, decent production quality. Overall product quality . . . 3 stars.

Thoughts on Stephen Tucker:

In a word . . . clever. He's very much a thinker . . . an idea guy. Sometimes with idea guys, they aren't necessarily the best performers. That's kind of the case with Tucker. Though the effects pretty much were all brilliant, I found his performances to be a little bit dry. But not un-watchable. He's a nice and likable guy and doesn't come across to his audience as arrogant Mr. Know-it-all. He's a humble and likable performer. Overall performance rating . . . 3.5 stars.

Thoughts on the Effects:

'Jumpin' Jack Flash:'
This is the only effect that requires the supplied gimmick. This is basically a two card revelation reminiscent of Al Baker's Pack That Cuts Itself. This version uses no thread . . . just a gimmicked card. The problem is that one of the 'selections' is the gimmick. The gimmick causes the deck to slowly cut itself at one of the selections (truly free selection). Then the same gimmick causes itself to fling out of the center of the deck. It's relatively easy to do, but I don't like that once the card flies out the deck, it can't be handed out - unlike Baker's effect. Overall rating - 3 stars

'Avalanche:'
This is a really fun effect with a ton of presentational presentation. A spectator thinks of any card (truly free choice), and with no fishing you know what card they think of. The method involves a few minor procedural action that the spectator does with an ungimmicked blank deck (while your back is turned). The procedure is may be a bit contrived, but clever enough that the method is undetectable. With the right personality and presentation, this can be a standout piece in your act. 3.5 stars

'Paragon Monte:'
You may be familiar with the illusion of placing a paperclip onto the middle of a card in a three card fan . . . you clearly place it on the middle card, but when you turn the cards over, the clip magically is on another card. This is a self working concept. Tucker has taken this to new heights with some additions that will even fool those familiar with the concept. One downside . . . cards are not examinable. However, in the context of the routine, I don't think they need to be. Just imagine a three card monte where the money card has a different colored back, and the cards have been glued together in a spread fashion. This is NOT hidden from your audience. You've done all this to 'make it fair for them.' Yet you still can't win the game. It's very clever . . . 4 stars

'Signed Coin in Bottle:'
The method here is 'ok,' but this was my least favorite trick. First of all, if you live in the United States, it requires the spectator to sign a gimmicked coin . . . a $25 gimmicked coin. Plus you'd need to have a few of these gimmicked coins on hand. In other countries these gimmmicks are found naturally . . . so it might be worth collecting a few of these coins from the appropriate country. Personally I don't think it's worth it, and the magic moment looked extremely suspicious to me. I'd skip this trick. Overall rating . . . 1.5 stars.

'Incredible:'
This is a very clever spelling effect. I'm not, by nature, a big fan of spelling tricks. However, even I was taken in by this one. I've found that this effect is an excellent opener to my effect Spectral Chill. It has a nice theme about the cards controlling everything. It's a nice presentation that feels and seems extremely fair and open. 4 stars

'Stroll On:'
Imagine Ball and Vase meets Old Spice. This effect uses a roll-on deodorant bottle. The roll-on ball vanished and reappears under the lid of the roll-on bottle multiple times . . . much like the old Ball and Vase effect. The routine seems way too contrived, and the props 'talk' way too much. Additionally, there are some awkward moments in the routine that make it not-so-smooth. Rating . . . 1 star.

'Revelations Three:'
The basic effect here is that three cards are signed and put back into the deck inside the box. The box is then put in your pocket. You then reach in your pocket and instantly pull the three cards out of the deck. The effect is pretty clean, however, I felt that Tucker was being a little to protective of the deck as the cards we're being placed back in the deck . . . rightly so . . . one wrong move, and the method might be tipped. However, it's a clean enough method that I think the effect is very doable. 3.5 stars.

'Heart Attack:'
If you don't mind a bunch of Elsmsley Counts and passing off six cards as four, this is a super visual effect. I may have sounded flippant with my statement about Elmsley and 6 cards, but I wasn't. I just know that not everyone prefers this type of effect. This one, however, just might be worth it . . . though the cards cannot be handed out. However, a quick switch might be doable. The effect is very clever . . . holes appear on the back of three different red cards (Ace of Hearts, 2H, and 3H). Then the holes vanish and the cards change to Jokers. It's very visual. 4 stars.

'Quintet:'
A ton o milage out of 5 cards. You'd swear that there are 5 Kings of Spades with some very convincing sequences. Then suddenly, you have a Royal Flush. One gimmicked card is used, but it's one you can easily make in 3 minutes. I also really liked his presentational hook as well. 4 stars.

'Three Fly Fo Fum:'
This one is funny (not ha-ha funny). It's a Three Fly routine . . . barely. I felt the moves were pretty weak and not that good, and the sequences were not very deceptive . . . Maybe I'm tainted because I just recently attended the Danny Archer lecture and saw one of the best Three Fly routines I've ever seen. Either way, this one was not so hot. However at the end, Tucker knocked me between the eyes with a 2x4 . . . the complete vanish . . . one at a time of the three coins was darn near perfect. For that alone, this routine is highly worth watching . . . 3.5 stars.

Final Thoughts

So if you average everything together, you get 3.2 stars. If you consider that it's a little bit on the pricey side, but that you get a good selection of tricks and a bunch of good ideas, I feel very good about my final decision.

Final Verdict:
3.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem