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gandolf Loyal user Hillsborough,NC 236 Posts |
I'll add my thoughts to the above. I thought the show was OK. Nothing special. Was disappointed in the amount and quality of the illusions presented. A rehash of a 1963 bill switch, a roulette wheel trick where the bimbos hooters played a bigger part in the "enjoyment" of the trick, and a cell phone routine Marco says he's been doing for years.
While I admire David for getting magic out into the public eye (in addition to Copperfield and Angel), I think this show was weak compared to others I've seen from different magicians. |
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Bob Baker Inner circle 1111 Posts |
This was not a magic special; it was a Blaine special. There were some negatives: the host's often pointless narration, the hoaky scenes of doctors trying to look busy (and who would hire a neurosurgeon to head the medical team for this anyway???)...
But the whole training regimen was remarkable, especially the session with the SEAL. Would you go through that--even for a few hours? And the sessions with Evel Knievel and Aron Ralston were great. (Didn't you love Blaine traipsing through the snow in his usual tee-shirt, seemingly impervious to the cold, while Ralston was all bundled up?) How about the shark tank, which we might know is not really dangerous, but certainly freaked out a few people I talked to. And the cinematography was great. Not just of the live scenes, but also the remarkable shots in the Cayman Islands of Blaine simply standing calmly under water as casually as if he were standing on a street corner. The shots were beautiful and mysterious and certainly unlike anything I've ever seen. Finally, the last 15 minutes were riveting. The breath-hold/escape was as suspenseful TV as you're going to see. Yeah, maybe they snuck a little extra oxygen into his air to make the feat a bit easier, but even so, the guy was really doing it! What more would you ask from him? A few more card tricks? Those are a dime a dozen. Bob |
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landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
It was sort of like those L&L four volume DVDs. You wish they could have just fit the good stuff on one DVD and throw away the rest.
Two hours is just too much to fill. Liked the re-cap of his other stunts, didn't care for any of the interviews, the magic was appealing to most laypeople I talked to, but I was kind of shocked how obvious most of it looked. Not a magician's magician, that's for sure. I thought the live stuff however was compelling and great showmanship. Jack Shalom
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
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Joshua Lozoff Inner circle Chapel Hill, NC 1332 Posts |
Well said, Bob. A lot of folks here simply don't have the artistic eye to appreciate all of those aspects of the special. His editors, cinematographers and segment directors are all true artists, and Blaine deserves the credit for that.
2 beautiful hours of television. Suspense without violence, excitement without gratuitous sex, and laughter without shallow comedy. He made TV a better place for one night. |
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Ireland Loyal user Regina, Sask. Canada 217 Posts |
Another circus for the urban mob.
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Ireland Loyal user Regina, Sask. Canada 217 Posts |
Another circus for the urban mob.
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Marvello Inner circle It's amazing how little I can say in 1612 Posts |
Quote:
On 2006-05-09 19:37, gandolf wrote: Are they going to release this trick? I didn't see it at ellusionist
Never criticize someone else until you have walked a mile in their shoes. Then, when you do criticize them, you will be a mile away from them and you will have their shoes.
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Rennie Inner circle I think I have about 1826 Posts |
Wasted 2 hours of my life watching a NON-MAGIC show. I would probably have gotten more excitement watching the grass grow. David Blaine in my opinion does absolutely nothing for magic. His "phony" emotional display at the end of the show was the topper. And how about the trick with the girls teeth, yeh that's available at your favorite dealer right..
Tell David to join the circus as that's where he belongs..Lets get back to magic and forget about fishbowls..The show was a waste.. Rennie
The effect is the important thing, how you achieve it is not.......
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karbonkid Special user 951 Posts |
Well, just to give one, and really just one, lay persons opinion. This was sent to me in front of a newsletter my wife gets for a musician she likes:
"You know, with so much going on in the world, it's comforting to know that some things stay the same. Pentium will always announce a new processor the week after you buy a computer, it will always rain during the Beale St. Music Festival, and David Blaine will always be an astoundingly unapologetic jerkmo. I mean, oh my crap. It's not so much that his "street" magic TV specials feature a large number of suspicious camera cuts and overly cooperative "strangers." That's show biz, and I can deal. But here's a basic rule of humanity: you don't get to stand on a really high pole or lock yourself in ice or sit in a snowless snow globe for a week and then emerge all dizzy/cold/wrinkly with this pitiful look on your face and give a dramatic speech like you just survived brain cancer in a refugee camp aboard a blazing nuclear submarine. It's not like you tripped and fell into that aquarium inconveniently placed in the middle of Lincoln Center. It was your own insanely egotistical idea. There really isn't enough genuine compassion to go around, and we don't need people wasting it on high-budget stupid human tricks." |
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Clark Special user 957 Posts |
Whew! Karbon smoked it on that one!
“The key to creativity is in knowing how to hide your sources.”
Albert Einstein |
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karbonkid Special user 951 Posts |
Dude, that was a layperson! I think layfolk can appreciate a spectacle, but, they are more in tune than we give them credit for a lot of time.
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Clark Special user 957 Posts |
Well, truthfully, I didn't bother to watch the Blain special. Seeing as how I am a magic nut that should speak volumes. I enjoyed Blain's early specials as he was something fresh (regardless if it was everyone's cup of tea) and he brought magic back into the mainstream consciousness without the wind machines, special boxes, and ridiculous poses. That being said, he has moved to stunts that I could care less about.
This is not a question of an "artistic eye", this is a question of do you want to watch two hours of stunt build-up and ten minutes of magic sprinkled in. You either do, or not...I do not. IMHO, this pathetic "one up" contest between Blain and Angel has become sickening to witness. I levitated six inches off the ground...OH' yeah, well I levitated seven! I found a card in a basketball...We'll I found one on a bus window! I can hold my breath for 9 minutes...Well I can set myself on fire! Blain displayed a uniqueness that was nice for a change and Angel came through and piggy-backed on his fame...and yes I'm aware that angel was in magic already, but if you think he didn't swoop in and ride Blain's coat tails do to his immense popularity then you are kidding yourself. Anyway, they start to compete heavily and we are all have to watch boring *&^# endurance tests and stooged "close-up" magic as a result. There is no doubt in my mind that the popularity of magic has grown since Blain has hit the scene and we owe all owe him for that, or at least you do if you are a working magician. I just hate that we have reached the point we have while Williamson, Carney and many other such greats and still unknown in the real world. Clark
“The key to creativity is in knowing how to hide your sources.”
Albert Einstein |
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Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
Here is the only reivew recieved so far from a muggle:
"Did you see anything on the David Blaine crap on tv? I was working up at Lincoln center yesterday just before he came out of the bubble filled with water I was so unimpressed. " Okay... on to ellusionist to gape at the goodies. I happened to like the tooth trick.
...to all the coins I've dropped here
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landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
But Jon, that tooth trick was so clumsily executed!
Jack Shalom
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
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Stanyon Inner circle Landrum, S.C. by way of Chicago 3433 Posts |
The only thing that impressed me was the acting technique displayed by the two members of the "medical crisis team"(?). Both times that they were in the shot both were studiously examinig a syringe, and one member spritzed the syringe in both shots. Can you say "Oh Puleeeeez!"?
Less filling and not enough flavor for my taste. JMHO Cheers!
Stanyon
aka Steve Taylor "Every move a move!" "If you've enjoyed my performance half as much as I've enjoyed performing for you, then you've enjoyed it twice as much as me!" |
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Barrett_James Loyal user Southern Arizona 242 Posts |
I was filled with hope that street magic was about to become totally cool again. When I heard that Paul Harris had signed on as an advisor I figured the magic was gonna be so dang cool and then..... nothing. I really wanted more magic and less theatre. Guess my expectations were just for a different show and when that show didn't get delivered. Here's hoping Criss Angel has a good season of MINDFREAK planned..., but..., I wont hold my breath... (pun intended).
Regards, Barrett James
"...let us now rejoin our foolish friends and commence the book properly." G.H.
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BobMillerMAGIC! Regular user MN 103 Posts |
I watched the Blaine special. Yes the underwater shots looked great. But I found myself zipping through my recorded show to get to something that captivated me. Too much history, and interviews, and blah, blah, blah. I did watch the last few minutes with interest. But I certainly didn't watch 7 minutes of breath-holding. I'm so glad I had it recorded or I would have really felt ripped off. I still felt disappointment in the amount of time I wasted on this non-magic show. That's not to discount the good that Blaine has done for magic. But, I'm not a Blaine fan anymore. My 2¢...
PreDate: The NoMem Calendar Trick
http://www.BobMillerMagic.biz |
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