Official Review |
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September 7th, 2011 10:13am
Rating:   |
| Reviewed by
Jeff Stone |
Well . . . For $35 bucks, you get three cards, a 10 Minute DVD, a booklet, and an "OK" trick. Basically, this is Color Monte, but instead of a "blue diamond", "red diamond" and a "$14 card" you have a "this", "that" and "other" card. Sure it's a clever play on words . . . but I think that's where the value ends on this one.
The DVD appears to have been filmed with a home VHS camcorder. The booklet, however, was sharp, well produced and a solid looking product. The cards that you get are decent . . . they've just had the words printed on them.
However, even if the quality of the DVD and cards were perfect I still would not, likely, be recommending this for many reasons.
First of all, when I spend $35 on a DVD, I expect either a DVD with multiple solid effects (not one so-so effect) and/or a solid specialized gimmick (not 3 silk-screened cards). Secondly, the effect is not that entertaining and frankly a bit confusing to follow.
The presentation given by Stephen Tucker was basically the standard 3 card monte type routine . . .
You think the "this" card is on the bottom . . . well you're wrong . . . you think the "this" card is on the top . . . well you'd be wrong again . . . oh is it here . . . WRONG! . . . You stupid spectator you're wrong . . . you're always wrong . . . I'm the magician, and I'm always right . . . HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
Ok . . . I hyperbolized a little bit, but not much. That's the message that these types of routines send. Then after showing that the spectator is wrong multiple times, the "routine" continues with a bunch of quick slide/glide/display/count moves that don't "prove" anything except my thesis that this is a non-entertaining confusing routine. This portion of the routine comes across as a hyper-active new magician trying to show off all of his false counts and displays in one routine . . . there's no time for the spectator to register any effect.
In my less than humble opinion, the effect along with the relatively poor quality "package" you get is not worth the price of admission. Sorry Mr. Tucker. I do like some of your other stuff, but not this one so much. I would have found this to be more valuable as an "idea" or an aside in an essay discussing presentation where maybe the author mentions that the Color Monte doesn't have to be done with the goofy cards and suggests trying it with a This, That and Other presentation.
However, if you really must learn a Color Monte style effect, then spend your cash on R. Paul Wilson's DVD Knock 'Em Dead. It has, in my opinion, the best presentation, performance, variation and kicker of all Color Montes. It is the Holy Grail of Color Monte.
1 star . . . rubble |
 Product info for This, That, and The Other (Cards and DVD)
Author: Stephen TuckerPublisher: Martin BreeseAverage Rating: (1)Retail Price: $35.00
Manufacturer's Description: The DVD features this miracle trick from the fertile, inventive and, dare we say, dangerous mind of Stephen Tucker. Who started the magic video and magic DVD craze? Who was the first performer to be featured on a proper commercial magic video? I made the first video and Stephen Tucker was the artist. What did we start?
Martin Breese: "I released this trick by Stephen Tucker back in the 1980s and discovered that someone, who should know better, had taken it, had it demonstrated by a good performer and then was selling video downloads explaining how to do it. What a cheek. And worse still the pirate video was the most viewed trick on YouTube ever! Not fifteen hundred viewers, not fifteen thousand viewers but fifteen Million! I had it taken off YouTube as soon as I knew! I had to do something about it! I got Stephen Tucker, who created and invented the effect, to put it all on DVD for me."
There is a fabulous booklet of instructions and the three special cards you need (printed on Bicycle stock) and of course the DVD!!
Running Time Approximately: 10mins
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