On May 1, 2014, Sashac wrote:
So watched it and enjoyed it! Movie is alright, a nice spin on a magic dvd and the whole end portion is really great! Middle is a little slow. Effects are actually really great! You'd be surprised! Card tricks aren't my thing anymore, but these were quite good. All the effects require a table, but can easily be adapted not to. It's not needed except for one effect. I particularly liked Glenn's stuff, the stuff from the Jerry's guy (sorry, I forgot your name). The Ben Train tricks are fantastic but I already owned them from his lecture notes, but I am no more inclined to perform them. Chris' trick is also very good and would play extremely well. The invisible palm is really good but it's a thing you'd show to your magician buddies in the pub. Color changing deck is really good. oil and water is not my thing. Four ace trick by Ben Train is really great.

2 effects (one by Ben and the one shown by Chris in the trailer) are not explained and are written up in the book.


Lastly, the way that the expos and the tricks are put into the film works well, so that aspect works.

A massive thumbs up!

On May 2, 2014, websmith2000 wrote:
Brilliant. Simply brilliant. An awesome, fun, wacky DVD.

Cool to see so many Toronto magicians. And as a bonus - some really great effects! Highlights for me?:
- Bill Abbott cracked me up.
- I LOVED Wide Open Travellers - it looked absolutely incredible. Can it be this good in person?
- Jeff Hinchliffe - I haven't seen him in years - I always loved his thinking. Great to see him in action.
- Even a pseudo Paul Harris effect. Paul Harris. The man. Wow.

Well done job. Kudos to all. You guys are too funny. I'm so ticked I didn't go to the Premier - what the hell was I thinking!

On May 3, 2014, Jack Carpenter wrote:
Just finished watching the movie. Twice.

First the Feature Film (magicians' version) on Disc 1, then the Layman's Cut on Disc 2.

I would recommend watching the Layman's Cut first in order to fully appreciate and enjoy the film. The Layman's Cut has all the magic, minus the explanations of course. Although they did incorporate the explanations within the story in the feature film as seamlessly as they could, it does seem to put a little drag on the pace and storyline that won't be found at all in the Layman's Cut.

With the Layman's Cut, you get a generous helping of pure entertainment; It moves along at a brisk clip, dry and subtle humor sprinkled throughout (with an occasional gut-buster), and a wonderfully written story line, exquisitely shot,(considering their budget) and a GREAT ending.

I would have enjoyed this film even if there wasn't a single real trick in the thing at all!

But that being said, the card tricks are fantastic. My favorite is Glenn West's "Color-Changing Deck" routine. His "Wide-Open Travelers" is also a masterpiece, but to be honest, I think very few will be able to pull it off anywhere near the way Glenn does (it's hard), and it's not one of those things that you can get away with doing, "almost as good."

On the other side of the coin, you've got Ben Train's, "Training Wheels" - an beautiful little eye-popper you can do right off the bat, as well as Westfall's, "Hold'em Seductively", a commercial and highly visual take of Harris' "Seductive Switch" embedded in an entertaining as hell Texas Hold'em Plot. Then there's Jeff Hinchliffe's, "Oil and Water", another you can do right "out of the box." Really well thought out.

For the faro guys, you've got Ben's "Detour on 51st Street", a real gem, presented as a demonstration of incredible "Shuffle Tracking", as well as Hinchliffe's total butt-kicker, "Harmony". Probably one of the most exquisite demonstrations of full deck control with Triumph embedded into it that you're ever gonna see. (The latter however, is one reserved for the real faro shufflers out there, not the "I can pull off one or two in a pinch" type guys like myself.)

This film (and it's a real film - not just another "magic video") is a work of art on so many levels that I can't possibly do justice to it if I were to attempt to discuss everything that deserves attention. (Even if I were qualified to discuss film making at any level.)

All I know, is that if you don't buy it, at least make sure that you see it. You're gonna love it!

Jack

On May 5, 2014, inaciolino wrote:
I really enjoyed the movie. Thanks so much for it. I hope we'll see more soon. Se you!!!