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 Magic Close Up by Shimshi - Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Shimshi, shares some of his professional working routines, including some that helped him win first place at the Magic Castle’s Strolling Olympics three consecutive years in a row!

One of the standout features of this DVD is Shimshi’s thread work for the real world. This DVD teaches the best ‘Hummer Card’ routine I’ve ever seen for the real world that includes several subtleties to throw off anyone suspecting the use of strings.

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

Card Magic, Close Up, Restaurant, Thread, Worker Material | View Comments

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 The Second Guest - Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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The Second Guest is a simple solution to what seems an impossible effect under test conditions. The comprehensive booklet teaches you how to setup and prepare the special card box in addition to the basic routine and other possibilities for this versatile peek device.

Once prepared, the secret to the box is not ‘obvious’ but it is not 100% invisible in close quarters. Fortunately, because of the way the box is handled throughout the routine, the special part of the box is rarely seen and therefore draws little attention.

The Second Guest is not something you could easily prepare on the go if presented with someone else’s deck of cards, nor would you be able to hand it out for examination (or at least not the box). Of course, this effect was designed for a real world ‘worker’ – whether you perform up close in restaurants or before an audience of hundreds.

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

Booklet, Card Magic, Mentalism, Worker Material | View Comments

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 Covert Magic - Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Covert Magic is the first time the material of award winning magician Iain Moran has appeared on DVD.

Here’s the deal with this DVD: You will learn some of Iain’s award winning magic – a fair amount of Iain’s magic uses gaffed cards – this DVD comes with most of the gaffed cards you need. The other great thing, is that Mr. Moran teaches you how to bring the necessary cards into play while performing in real world situations.

Because it just looks so cool, I have to single out the ‘Snap, Crackle & Pop’ routine. While it has some angle constraints that may keep you from performing this as much as you’d like to (in walk around situations), the overall visual appeal of the effect makes it worth the times you get to perform it.

In addition to the DVD’s video content, the disk also contains PDF instructions for the effects.

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

Effect | View Comments

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 Session 2007 Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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The magic convention for serious close up magicians comes to you on DVD. In it’s 99 minutes, you will learn magic from several of the convention’s celebrity performers and guests, along with some relative new comers to the magic scene.

In specific regards to it’s contents, you are getting mainly card magic here, but there is an effect using an iPod…

The DVD is a little pricey at $50 for the single disk, but there is more than the average amount of material on just one DVD.

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

Card Magic, Close Up, DVD | View Comments

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 Little Black Book Test Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Little Black Book Test offers much more than a simple, one shot bit of information you pick up with your mind. Instead, you are able to pick up an extensive amount of a person’s contact information from your Little Black [Address] Book.

Surprisingly, the routine doesn’t require as much memory work as you would think – especially considering the fact that there are over 70 phone numbers listed in the booklet and no forces are used! Still, the thought of 70+ phone numbers may seem daunting, never fear, the method behind picking them ‘out of the mind’ is quite easy and clever.

The routine has a nice, open, unrehearsed feel about it. There are so many possible entries to be selected from the book and may ways to play out the routine.

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

Mentalism | View Comments

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 Smoke Rings - Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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The Chinese Linking Rings have come so far in the past hundred years. In these times, we’ve seen the classic routine change so much, evolving into similar routines using linking ropes and the like. The latest iteration, the linking card, brings the effect up to the modern Stage Magic arena.

David Forrest’s Smoke Rings allows you to perform this ‘cool’ illusion at a moments notice with nothing more than a single, unprepared playing card. The link looks deceptive enough, despite the fact that it is only a ‘static’ link (the rings don’t spin freely through each other).

The handling is fairly straight forward, although there is one sort of non-sequitur tear, it is covered nicely. Another nice touch, though it doesn’t seem entirely necessary, is the larger of the two card ‘rings’ (frames) can be signed. Unfortunately, you can not give the rings away in their linked condition, but the routine, presented in light ‘phases’ wraps up with the magician tearing one of the rings off the other (easy to do and looks good) and then restores the apparent tear.

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

Effect | View Comments

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 No Camera Tricks - Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Mentalism on television doesn’t have the best reputation, and while it may be years before it gains acceptence as magic that can be performed without stooges, this set provides a bounty of ‘honest’ stooge-free mentalism routines.

Of course, you don’t need a TV gig to take advantage of this magic. This set is packed with so many performance ready and diverse effects that an entire show could be produced from this DVD alone.

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

DVD, Mentalism | View Comments

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 Ice Coins - Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Ice Coins puts an original climax at the end of your coins across routine. The DVD comes with four ‘ice gimmicks’ (plastic coins) that line up perfectly with half dollars (also available in US Dollar size and UK 2P) as well as a 3 inch ‘jumbo’ ice coin for one of the many additional routines taught on the DVD.

The climax plays strong but the routine requires good pocket management to keep everything in order (coins in this pocket, ice coins in that pocket, flash paper here…)

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

Close Up, Coin, DVD, Worker Material | View Comments

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 Cipher Speak - Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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James Bond knows how to ‘Cipher Speak’, I’d bet on it! Of course, being able to communicate certain bits of information between two people in a way that’s impossible to catch on to means those who plan on learning how to ‘Cipher Speak’ have endless hours of practice and memory work ahead of them.

The coding system taught here is complex but gets the job done if you wish to perform this type of mentalism routine without giving away any clues.

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

Booklet, Mentalism | View Comments

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 Sealed In - Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Sealed In offers an interesting twist on the popular coin in bottle routine. Once the coin is in the bottle, it is noted that the bottle’s original seal is still in tact; the bottle has never been opened or tampered with (apparently…)

There is a fair amount of preparation (5 minutes) required to perform this effect making it impractical to perform in walk around situations. Never the less, when performed in the right situation, Sealed In leaves your spectator(s) with an impossible souvenir.

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

Uncategorized | View Comments

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 Punishment - Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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‘Punishment’ is a great example of what a close up magic DVD should be. it’s got strong magic for the real world, a variety of ‘difficulty’ levels, and a well rounded list of magic routines that use a variety of different objects.

You really get a little of everything here, clever card magic, knuckle busting coin magic, ‘single’ cup and balls routine, and a packet routine.

Aside from the magic presented here, one of the DVD’s greatest assets is that you get to see the routine performed in REAL WORLD situations – i.e. the restaurant Patrick McCullagh works at.

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

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 Fandango - Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Fandango is the first in a series of booklets written by David Forrest designed to give magicians ‘innovative close up for the real world’. Does it deliver? Of course. Within it’s thirty pages can be found five card effects and one transposition routine of a coin and a ring – in a card box.

One of the booklet’s highlights is ‘Seal the Deal’ which gives the effect that the magician is able to reseal an opened pack of cards. Just a little, fair warning on the effect – this is not a method that will allow you to open a pack of cards, order them any way you wish, and then reseal the pack. This is just a quick magic routine that gives the effect that you can reseal a pack.

Volume one shows promise and we can only hope for a successful continuation of this series.

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

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 Bright Ideas Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Here’s a DVD with real world card magic that is fun to perform and packed full of surprises for your audiences. All the effects on this DVD have been streamlined and polished to work in most performing situations and are presented here, with clear instruction for your benefit.

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

Effect | View Comments

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 Signature Card Rise Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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What’s better than Martin Lewis’ famous Sketchpad Card Rise? How about a super charged version of this highly acclaimed routine, redesigned for the working magician? The Signature Edition Sketchpad Card Rise is an investment for anyone that regularly performs (or plans to perform) this routine. This model is built to last, is easier to use, and overall, gives a better performance over previous versions.

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

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 Party Animal Reviewed by Derek Merdinyan [1:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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I’ve reviewed a handful of magic DVDs in the past few months that teach card magic specifically devoted to walk around and restaurant situations. And while all of these DVDs taught real, professional, worker material, Party Animal was not only my favorite of the bunch, featuring some awesome card magic (that even I devoured), but Party Animal was even enjoyable to watch; like being at a party.

If you are a magic dealer and are interested in carrying this product, you can contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies at 916 853 9292 or visit them on the web at www.murphysmagicsupplies.com.

Effect | View Comments