Andthensome Review

Sep 1, 2007
405
1
Anthensome Review by Juan Martinez

Packaging & Case look: The packaging and case look will probably be very close to the ones fro the Trilogy, seeing as this is a bonus disk for that set. The build I saw was finished but still before mass production, so Packaging and Case could not be assessed at this time. Either way, Dan and Dave have done some very nice clean designs in the past, and there is no reason to believe that has changed.

Menus: The menus are very intelligently designed. There are tricks, flourishes, everything else, and then some and extras. When an area is accessed, there will be a preview playing in the same screen (much like Surfaced) and the performance, explanation and OTS (over the shoulder) sections can be quickly accessed from there. Again the menus are very clean and clear.

Effects, Tools and Others: This will be explained a bit differently from my previous reviews. The effects will still have the usual impressions, visual level, practicality and ease and personal score. The flourishes will have: visual impact, ease and personal score. The moves and advice given on the DVD will just have impressions and practicality.


Tricks

Portal
This is a variation from Cards Across in the tricks section of the trilogy. It is meant to have the visual impact of that trick but fixes a discrepancy.

Impressions: This is a hell of a trick. D&D comment on the fact that Cards Across had the discrepancy of having the card inserted face down and appearing face up. They fixed said discrepancy and created an amazing effect in the process.

Visual Level: Very visual.

Practicality and ease: Very practical. Like cards across, this is an all in the hands transposition of two cards. There is a slight knack to the last part of the trick and timing is crucial. D&D also teach a rocking double lift.

Personal Score: 10/10. Yes, I know it looks like sucking up, but this trick is THAT damn good.

Osh Negash Bgosh
This is the same effect as explained in D&D’s notes Sleightly Magical. This is pretty much a very flashy transposition.

Impressions: This is outrageously flashy. I think it is very visually appealing and if you are willing to put in the practice, you’ll have a great effect on your hands. It does make me question whether the effect is lost on the spectators because of all the shenanigans occurring in the process.

Visual Level: Ridiculous.

Practicality and ease: This is practical for table hopping, but it may work best on some spectators than others. What I mean is that some people will appreciate your consummate skill pulling this off, while others may regard you as a show off. It will not be easy to learn (unless you have good hands and are willing to practice judiciously).

Personal Score: 7/10. This is just my opinion. I do not see myself using this effect. But then again, if you are talented and it fits your style, this may rock in your hands.

Encore
This trick reminded me of Doc Daley’s Last Trick… on crack, steroids and red bull. A red aces for black aces transposition.

Impressions: This is very cool. I personally use Doc Daley’s trick quite a bit… actually almost every time anyone asks me to do a trick. I was really impressed with how damn clever this trick is. It will fool people who are familiar with Doc Daley’s trick, and it may severely damage the brains of your audience.

Visual Level: Visual but subtle, when you least expect it, you get a visual punch to the gut.

Practicality and ease: Practical but has some angle issues. It uses some wild techniques, including an aerial double lift (bad ass btw) and some other more classical moves that are seldom used in the context of close up. Again, probably not easy for your average card guy (i.e. me) but some of them young folk with talent will be doing this thing in a week.

Personal Score: 8/10. It’s a difficult one, but hey, Doc Daley’s trick rocks, and so does this one.

Hedberg All Over
This is a variation from Hedberg’s Peak from the tricks section of the trilogy. This thing is the up and down transposition, redone and outdone.

Impressions: This is a very neat effect. The Bucks pretty much decided to clean up Headberg’s Peak, and made it more appealing in the process.

Visual Level: Visual but again in a subtle way at first. As the effect moves along it gets more visual and much more impossible looking. This is very well constructed.

Practicality and ease: It is practical, but my favorite part is that it uses a little something extra. So if you are one those guys who cannot deal with having a little something else on your pack you may pass up on a cool trick. It does use Pughe’s pass from Avenue and the Clipshift from Surfaced, though a substitute for the Clipshift is taught. The trick requires you to know some of the sleights from the original, but it will fry hecklers.

Personal Score: 9/10. Honestly, it gets high marks because it uses something extra and I know this pisses people off.

Flourishes

Flic

Visual Impact: High. This is a boomerang card flourish, and it is always cool to see card flying around under your control.

Ease: Actually pretty easy. If you get your finger positions right you will acquire the knack quickly. After watching this, I came home and tried it with the great advice given by the Bucks on the video. It worked like a charm of the first try.

Personal Score: 8/10. Neat and easy, but further variations explained later are more impressive.

Flirt

Visual Impact: Medium. This is just a little card “flicker.” Dave does this almost unconsciously now, like a nervous tick. It is pretty to watch, but even prettier if you are not paying attention.

Ease: Not too difficult. It may be harder to get it to flicker fast, but it looks beautiful when you get it. Kevin Ho does this very nicely, as do the Bucks.

Personal Score: 7/10. Cool little thing to play around with, but does not have a use on its own. I am certain someone will build some cool combos between this and Raccoon (idea anyone?) but on its own is just “cute”.

M4 Hollywood

Visual Impact: High. This is another variation on the Molecule 4 cut. Very cool looking.

Ease: Not any harder than say, M4 Tokyo for example. It uses the Ginastaire Double technique in a unique way. Like all other multi-packet cuts it will take dedication to master smoothly.

Personal Score: 9/10. I am not much into flourishing, but this is a sweet ass cut.
 
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Sep 1, 2007
405
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Everythingelse

Goat Change

Impressions: Wow. Now this is a freaking awesome color change.

Practicality: This ******* is knacky! If can do it, it looks like trick photography, but it is not the easiest thing to do. Again, if you get it, people will freak out.

Shepherd Change

Impressions: A variation on the Goat Change, which combines the Goat idea with the DB spin change for a great and much easier change.

Practicality: This move is considerably easier than the Goat. I would use this much more often than the Goat because it is more reliable and only a bit less visual. Lay people who only see this will still freak out.

Orbit

Impressions: Flying double lift for those who like to over prove your doubles. Very impressive looking.

Practicality: Again, not easy. I would say is not practical in all performance situations because you do run the risk of the double splitting. If you are clever it can be used in other effects (if I am not mistaken, it is part of the effect Encore, elsewhere on the disk).

Ginastaire Double

Impressions: Double lift explained in Sleightly Magical. This is another knock them dead double. Very knacky but the proximity to the deck makes it safer than something like Orbit.

Practicality: Again, it may not be 100% reliable, so use at your own risk. If you do flourishes, it can be used as an application, as the Bucks do in the M4 Hollywood.

Spinning Top

Impressions: A spinning double on top of the deck. This is a reworking of the spinning double originally explained by Frank Garcia. This is easier than the two previous flourishy doubles.

Practicality: Fairly practical. It is more reliable than the two previous double lifts. If you do flourishes in combination with your magic, this double will do you wonders.

Jones Change Variation

Impressions: This is a way to do the original Jones Change that allows you to show one card at the end (rids you of the ditch).

Practicality: This is a cool one. The Jones change is correctly explained in the disk (and for free at dananddave.com). The clean up move is very different and a bit angle sensitive. It works best with some types of wardrobe as well. But since you should be doing this for only a few people, it is practical for those of you who love the Jones Change.

Smoother

Impressions: This is a very old gambling trick to smooth the edges of your deck of cards. It is probably the funniest moment on the DVD. Why you ask? You’ll just have to watch…

Practicality: Very practical if you don’t know another technique to buff your deck of cards. Works best with jeans.

Manfred Shuffle

Impressions: In the hands false shuffle. Akin to the Truffle Shuffle, but considerably easier. Credits are given on the inspirations for the shuffle. It looks really good in camera and in person.

Practicality: If you do this off-handedly it will fly right past people. This is as practical as it gets.

Simpler Switch

Impressions: A card flies from hand to hand and it is switched for another. The original simple switch is explained in the everythingelse portion of the trilogy. This is an application of that move.

Practicality: Very nice looking switch. The timing will take practice. It can be used for simple transpositions, and I am sure someone out there will come out with some crazy effect using this.

Andthensome

Two Handed Pirouette
Impressions: Sweet, pretty and easy. This is a version of the original Pirouette flourish explained in the everythingelse portion of the trilogy.

Practicality: Very cool, perhaps easier than the original Pirouette. It could be combined with the spin top double for some great combos (maybe this, spin top, flirt and Raccoon… ideas anyone?).

Dr. 90210

Impressions: This is an addition to the Spin Doctor Double explained in the tricks portion of the trilogy. It is a neat addition but nothing to go crazy about.

Practicality: The spin doctor double has been for me the handiest sleight in the entire trilogy. Now the Bucks have pumped some extra flare into it. Very nice double, made stylish.

Spinning Table top

Impressions: Double lift that spins on the table top…

Practicality: Cool and practical, though honestly it just looks like outrageous over proving to me. It could however be applied to an item like the next one.

Hover Spring and Auto-catch

Impressions: This is a trick explained briefly on Organic. Trust me, this looks so bad ass is not even funny. As I wrote this review I though it may be cool to try to combine the Spinning Table top with this…

Practicality: Very sweet as a flourish, and very impressive as part of a sandwich effect, as explained on the disk. It will take a knack, but man does this thing look good.

Aerial Double Lifts//Tip

Impressions: Advise on the use of Aerial Double Lifts.

Practicality: Actually very good advice. Reliability comes first.

Blind Bluff

Impressions: A handling of the bluff pass. This is very good, and it is the way the bluff pass was originally written.

Practicality: Very practical way to use the bluff pass to control a card to the very top, not second from top. Ballsy though.

Back Flic

Impressions: Behind the back version of the Flic flourish, found elsewhere on the disk.

Practicality: Cool flourish on its own. You could probably come up with some cool aerial flourishes (like Erdnase Go’ round) to combine it with.

Jones Change Variation//tip

Impressions: Tip on the second version of the Jones change taught elsewhere in the disk.

Practicality: Again good advice. This teaches the perfect time to execute the clean up move.

Starry Eyed

Impressions: A quick production of the Aces. Found in the Bucks’ notes Five

Practicality: Fairly easy and flashy production of the Aces. With a little practice this can become the new way you start a four Ace routine.

Subway Renovation

Impressions: A subway variation that brings the magic to your spectator’s hands.

Practicality: This was an idea first printed in Organic. This is very good and shows how one can take a good trick and improve its magical impact with a small but significant change.

Queens Alteration

Impressions: A slight change brought forth by Chris Kenner to make the Queens trick more consistent.

Practicality: There is a slight redundancy at the beginning of the Queens trick. This small (but significant) variation fixes that.

Click Change Variation

Impressions: A different version of the click change with an added aerial twist. Originally the click change was published in the everythingelse portion of the trilogy.

Practicality: Very cool version of the click change. The added misdirection is killer. It also makes a bit of the change easier to pull off.

DD Square

Impressions: A spin flourish used to square the cards.

Practicality: If you do your magic with some flourishes and flare, why not add flare to your squaring motion. It is done at a table though I am sure you can use your leg if you must.

Double Pirouette

Impressions: Idea of doing the pirouette flourish using a double.

Practicality: Pretty sweet. The advice about using this as a flourish rather than an actual double applies here also. I looks very good, and the technique taught to do the pirouette may be useful for those of us who cannot even do it with one card.

Erdnase Go Rounder

Impressions: A great addition for those who have mastered the original Erdnase Go Round.

Practicality: A solid variation of the original. This looks a bit like card juggling, but it is very cool regardless. A way to do it behind your back is also shown. Since there are tons of aerial things on this DVD, I’m sure someone out there will come up with a wild flying around flourish…

Extras

The extras on the DVD include: The trilogy Trailer and Bonus footage, Spring Jam, Decknique contest winner and theory11 contest winner videos. The Jones change redone (teaching the original change correctly), and the Hank Miller Shuffle, which is a false shuffle that inspired the Manfred shuffle, taught elsewhere on the DVD.

Overall: As we have come to expect from the Bucks, the DVD has very high production values. The menus are clean and everything is easy to access. As a stand alone DVD andthensome was very well put together, but as a bonus disk for the trilogy you could not ask for more.

Recommendation: Simple: Buy it. I am sure members of the dananddave.com website will buy it regardless of what I say, but honestly, there is so much stuff on this DVD; the standard DVD price does not do it justice. Just watching it one time I was already thinking of small ideas, combos or variations that can be applied to the tricks, flourishes, everythingelse andthensome contained on the disk. I know many may see my other reviews and believe that I am sucking up but trust me, when you see what this DVD contains you will appreciate this recommendation much more.

Any questions, feel free to PM me.
Juan Martinez.
 
Nov 18, 2008
1,604
0
CA
Incredible review. That stuff sounds amazing. How did you get the disk early though?
 
May 3, 2008
1,146
4
Hong Kong
awesome review
so gonna get the DVD
but yea as Cardclip did mention "How on earth did you get this DVD??????? *jealous*"
but I can do flirt, double pirouette, orbit, Doc Daley thing, and Osh Negash Bgosh! YAY! GO HONG KONG LECTURE THING!
 
Sep 1, 2007
405
1
Amazing Review Juan.
But one question - How did you get this?
I thought It hadn't been released yet...
Either way - I am absolutely looking forward to buying this.

Gustav

Again, just to clarify: the DVD is not out yet, I saw the whole thing before it was sent off for mass production. The Bucks were kind enough to allow me to review this before it was released so people knew what they were getting into before they purchased.

Thank you again for the kind words bro.

Juan Martinez
 
Nov 20, 2007
4,410
6
Sydney, Australia
Great review, thanks for that.

Unfortunately it confirms my suspicions that I won't particularly like it or find any of it essential viewing for the next few decades - but that's alright. I'm sure some will like it, I guess, so go for it..
 
Feb 15, 2008
176
0
awesome review
so gonna get the DVD
but yea as Cardclip did mention "How on earth did you get this DVD??????? *jealous*"
but I can do flirt, double pirouette, orbit, Doc Daley thing, and Osh Negash Bgosh! YAY! GO HONG KONG LECTURE THING!

wait... they didn't teach double pirouette, did they?
 
Apr 27, 2008
1,805
2
Norway
Again, just to clarify: the DVD is not out yet, I saw the whole thing before it was sent off for mass production. The Bucks were kind enough to allow me to review this before it was released so people knew what they were getting into before they purchased.

Thank you again for the kind words bro.

Juan Martinez

haha. When I originally posted, there were no other posts, so you technically hadn't answered my question yet;

But as I clicked 'post' a couple of posts came up before mine, including the question/answer.

Thanks for clarifying anyways!

Gustav
 
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