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1 Deck 14 Tricks 24 Hours Volume 1

Matthew J. Dowden

(Based on 1 review)
We set Matthew J. Dowden on a challenge... Learn 7 world class easy-to-do card tricks within 24 hours and then go out onto the streets of London and amaze your audiences!

On these DVDs you'll see Matthew perform 7 of his 14 fantastic card tricks that require no skill and absolutely no sleight of hand. Only you'll know just how simple these tricks are to do. Aimed at the beginner and professional, after watching these discs you'll wonder just why you've not used these before.

SHOT IN HIGH-DEFINITION WIDESCREEN 16:9
FULL INTERACTIVE MENUS
WORLDWIDE PLAYBACK


VOLUME 1 CONTENTS INCLUDE:
FOUR THOUGHT - The amazing 4 ace mystery in which four people find their own cards.
COMPATIBILITY TEST - Matthew's unique presentation. Just watch the reactions!
LISTEN EAR - A freely chosen card is mixed by the spectator. Never touching the cards the magician can still tell them where their card is from the top of the deck! A REAL MAGICIAN FOOLER!
PSYCHIC HOTLINE - A card is chosen and then revealed by a stranger on the other end of the telephone!
URBAN PRINCESS - A thought of card vanishes and appears in an impossible location!
ULTIMATE PHONE PREDICTION - Any card, the magician never touches them and yet someone on the other side of the world tells them where their card is from the top of the deck... Simply amazing! A REPUTATION MAKER!
RIPPED - The ultimate matching pieces trick!

Running Time Approximately 64min

Reviews

David Acer

Official Reviewer

Nov 06, 2008

"Card magic" as a genre suffers from a variety of stigmas, not the least of which is a widely held sentiment that - Buck twins, cover your eyes - it's boring. Personally, I love card tricks, but I sympathize with the above, since I too have been trapped watching no small number of "pasteboard miracles" that had me silently praying for a stroke.

On the other hand, I've seen plenty of evidence that almost any card trick can be entertaining, and I assume Matthew Dowden shares this optimism or he wouldn't have released these two DVDs. So what exactly do they offer? Well, as it turns out, "1 Deck... 14 Tricks... 24 Hours" isn't just their title - it's also the theme. Matthew was mandated to learn and personalize 14 "old school," sleight-free card tricks, then perform them for passers-by on the streets of London in an effort to demonstrate (rather than just speak to) their impact. Overall, the point is ably made - these tricks pack a punch. So much so, in fact, that both DVDs are easy to recommend.

Volume One contains seven tricks, including a clever Spectator-Cuts-to-the-Aces ("Four Thought"), George Engel's two-deck You-Do-as-I-Do ("Compatibility Test"), and an ungimmicked (though far from impromptu) Princess Card Trick ("Urban Princess").

Volume Two, while self-contained, picks up where Volume One left off, and includes one of the stronger handlings for Paul Curry's "Out of this World," a legendary bar-bet card-revelation ("Ultimate Free Drink"), and a surprising production of a Royal Flush ("Poker").

Given that the plots (and corresponding methods) on these DVDs are well established, I think this set will be of greater interest to beginners. But intermediate to advanced magicians might also find themselves on the "what the hell?" end of several tricks here, such as "Ripped," a puzzling method for mixing, then "psychically" matching pieces of five torn cards, and "Listen Ear," a hands-off revelation of a freely chosen card. So check these out if you're looking to broaden your repertoire with a few self-working card tricks that are more than entertaining enough to keep your spectators from secretly pleading with their respective Gods for a debilitating brain condition.

David Acer
(Top ▲)