Forrest • Olympia, Washington • 06/21/10
First of all, I would like to say WOW. This DVD is the best thing I have ever purchased in magic, heck, IN ANYTHING. I already owned Jason's pass 1-on-1 so I had an inkling of what to expect. When all is said an done, it went far and beyond my expectations.
THE PRODUCTION:
Like all Theory11 products, this screams professional. The camera work is exceptional, and the video quality is top notch. The music is not overbearing, but adds to the overall production. The editing is concise. It is clear that even just one move would have taken hours of work.
THE INSTRUCTION:
Jason England is my new favorite teacher. There, I said it. Now, let me back up my statement. Jason's teaching style is clear and concise. He is obviously a master at his art, while coming off as your friendly next door neighbor chatting over the fence. He is able to explain some of the most difficult moves in the chard mechanics arsenal while simultaneously keeping the learning curve as easy as possible.
THE MATERIAL:
**WARNING** this material is not for the faint of heart. Most of the things that your going to learn on this project are knuckle busters. These are some of the hardest moves, so you WILL have your work cut out for you. As Jason says at the end of the center deal "see you in 10 years." That said, with practice, practice, and more practice, you could become as proficient as anyone else in the world at these moves.
THE HISTORY:
If you're anything like I am, this will be a highlight of each move. Not only does Jason give an excellent explanation of each trick, but he gives some background history as well. Personally I love magic history almost as much as the magic itself so getting a quick primer on where it originated was fascinating for me. Jason gives a quick background behind the move, and then lists some great sources to learn the move.
FINAL OVERVIEW / PARTING WORDS:
Overall my only complaint is that I didn't find this sooner. Thank you Theory 11, and thank you Jason for putting out such a quality product, and being willing to share your years of experience, I can only hope that one day I will be half as skilled as you are, and will be able to pass on some of that knowledge to the next group of budding magicians.
I will be waiting with bated breath for the next release by Jason!
Jason Isaac • Oklahoma City • 09/15/09
I have never written a review before, but simply put - BUY THIS DVD. Jason England is a professional teacher and I learned more the first time I watched this disc than I have in my previous two years of attempting the Bottom Deal. Please theory11, bring us another Jason England DVD soon!
kentfgunn • The Magic Cafe • 07/16/09
Fantasticy just about covers it.
I just got the disc a couple nights ago. I've plowed through the entire disk. It is without a doubt the finest material on the real work outside a book.
If you've ever wanted to learn real-world gambling sleight of hand from a world-class magician, this is the product for you.
Diagonal Palm Shift
Bottom Deal
Center Deal
Second Deal
Greek Deal
Push Through
Palming
MacMillian Switch
That's what's covered on the DVD. It is the longest magic DVD I've ever bought.
I think if you want to learn any of the sleights above, this is your very best bet in getting them down smoothly. I struggled with learning a bottom deal for years. I worked with the Maze book for eight freaking years. My bottom deal still looked lousy. One hour with Jason's DVD and I have made some serious breakthroughs.
Jamie D. Grant • The Magic Cafe • 07/10/09
This is a rare review for me. If you've ever read my Magic Friday column, you'll know that I never review an entire DVD. Usually, if I can find one effect on a disc that I can add to my repertoire, I'm pretty happy and, as a result, I've only reviewed single effects.
Jason England's Foundations, however, deserves a review in is entirety because of its fantasticity (I just made that word up) throughout! Also, as it's not a "tricks" DVD, I wouldn't be able to review it under my general guidelines and I really think that this disc deserves some praises.
I only wish I had this DVD ten years ago! Imagine having one of the world's greatest card men giving you 'the real work' for over three hours! Not only is Jason a card ninja but he's also an awesome teacher. And, unlike someone with ninja skills, he actually teaches things that I'll be able to do. I mean, I just learned the Centre Deal in only ten minutes! (Just kidding). I will, however, be learning The Diagonal Palm Shift properly. As well, my palming has already improved and I haven't even touched a deck after watching the DVD- just watching and, more importantly, learning, has already improved my skills. Priceless.
I'm a big believer in goals and it's one of my recent ones to fix some of my card flaws/laziness's. My palming could use some 'touching up' (I'm being generous with myself) and Foundations is just the thing to teach me how to do all these moves correctly. For that, I'm thankful. It's also about time I learned how to deal Seconds- maybe that'll be my second summer goal! I'm looking forward to it now that I'm confident that I'll be learning the right away right from the get go. Sweet.
All in all, an awesome DVD that I only wished had come out earlier in my life. But hey, it's never to late! Let's get started...
10/10
Ben L. • theory11 forums • 07/06/09
First and foremost, Jason England is a phenomenal teacher. He is incredibly articulate, very clear both in his explanations and his movements. I've been working on my bottom deal for a while now and this had definitely been worth it to learn England's technique and tips on the various handlings. The move itself is one of my favorites in all of card technique. If you're at all serious about card handling, you owe it to yourself to pick this up.
