Bullet - Reviewed

[jimbowmanjr]

Bullet By Matthew Mello and Nick Verna (Produced by Ellusionist)

BULLET Page

EFFECT

A lightening fast impossible penetration which uses a clearly borrowed coin, signed if you wish, and a borrowed bottle. Your spectators will witness an impossible penetration clearly done without any funny moves or confusion. What you see in the trailer is EXACTLY how the multiple variations actually play out in the real world. Inside of the routines we are given there are multiple handlings which can be tailored to suit your own personal preference. You have the straight up, impossible, borrowed coin slammed into the borrowed bottle with the cap clearly on. You will have Airborne catch which essentially shows the borrowed coin flying into the borrowed bottle, again showning your spectator you are completely clean. Please be aware that eyeballs popping from skulls and jaws slamming into the concrete can be acceptable reactions when presented properly.


METHOD

The methods and subtleties behind Bullet are nothing short of incredible in my opinion. I watched Matt's demo when the trailers were leaked and I was completely freaked and immediately contemplated the setup and method to accomplishing something this visual. As with Factory Sealed there are multiple handlings taught here in Bullet as well. Some of these handlings do actually overlap which makes this even more incredible because you could even perform these back two back to back by doing Factory Sealed and then following with Bullet to really fry your spectators minds.

The subtleties that you are getting here are totally mind boggling. I would love to go into detail describing some of the moves but I really think if I did it would expose a few things so I will simply say the subtleties you are taught here are taught in incredible detail. You will not have a question on how to get in and out of Bullet, at all. Several method variations are taught in this DVD/Download as well.

You will clearly and cleanly be able to go from the vertical penetration to the horizontal display showing your hands completely empty, holding the top and bottom of the bottle at your fingertips! This transition seriously blew my mind because as soon as I thought I knew how it was happening, I realized I had no flippin' idea.
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FAQ's Direct from the Product Page ...

Is there an extra coin falling from above? - No

Is a label needed? - No

Is anything hidden behind or under the cap? - No

Does the illusion occur VISUALLY at the point of impact in which the bottle is struck by the coin? Yes

Can the coin and bottle be borrowed? - Yes

Is the Bottle shown CLEAN and CLEARLY EMPTY? - Yes

Can BOTH hands be shown completely empty? - Yes

Can just about any coin be used? - Yes

Can the coin can be Marked, or Signed for identification? - Yes

Are the moves completely natural from beginning to end? Yes

Any funny looking moves whatsoever? - No

Any cuts, slits, or holes required? - No

Can the bottle cap be on the bottle during the penetration? - Yes

Does the bottle cap stays in full view throughout the entire penetration presentation? - Yes (whole bottle is displayed from top to bottom and remains in full view through the entire effect.)

Is the bottle cap CLEARLY shown to be on TIGHT and secure until it is twisted off only to find the coin SAFELY inside the bottle? Yes

Is the bottle also found not to be altered at all and is COMPLETELY in tact? - Yes

Is the bottle limited to just a certain known name spring water bottles? - No, many bottle can be used as you will see in the DVD

Can you pick up just about any bottle and perform with ease? Yes, but some may require a little getting used to in practice

Can you can use BOTH clear & colored bottles? Yes *personal note: I would recommend doing this with clear bottles as a colored bottle will obscure the magic and detract from the overall visual penetration.*

Any strings or magnets! - - No

Any sticky stuff applied or added? - No

Can you pretty much perform this anywhere and anytime? - Yes

Is everything examinable? - Yes

Is it REALLY 100% TOTALLY IMPROMPTU AND GIMMICKLESS? - Yes

Has been audience tested with amazing reactions? Yes, over and over

___________________________________________________________

Can be performed IMPROMPTU, right on the spot as you will clearly see in the video. Justin walks right up to a guy drinking a bottle of water, has him pour out the contents and immediately performs Bullet for this guy with the BORROWED bottle and BORROWED coin.

BUllet plays on two convincers in my opinion. You visually see the borrowed coin clearly held in the hand slammed into the bottle (visual). You hear the coin slam into the bottle and immediately rattling around inside of the bottle (auditory). You want to use a signed coin? It is taught in detail how to incorporate the signed coin version into Bullet if you feel that is necessary to add to the penetration. Personally I don't think it is necessary as you can clearly see the coin held in the performers hand, the bottle is shaken and shown to be empty.

Cost - Great price in my opinion for what you are getting here. Combine this with Factory Sealed to save $10 and you are getting an even better bargain. I paid $44.90 for both effects which to me was an absolute steal given the amount of detail in the training and the level of training contained within.

Difficulty Level - Very, very, easy to perform. There are several versions taught, some easier than others but overall I feel that this is an effect that was streamlined and taught to be performed by anyone regardless of their skill level in magic.

Teaching - Again much like Factory Sealed the teaching is top notch. You should not have a single question after watching this DVD/Download on how to perform Bullet. Every subtlety and handling is taught in great detail and nothing is taken for granted that you already know how to do anything.

Live Performances - The reactions say it all in this DVD/Download. You can see every single person that this effect is shown to is completely blown away by what they just saw.

Production - C'mon now...did you expect the production to even be questioned? The only thing I felt was lacking was the demonstrations stepping out of my computer screen into my office. Maybe next time eh? Production quality was top-notch as usual in case my humor didn't get that across.

Overall - Again real magic is a 10 and this is about as close as it gets to defying the laws of physics causing the universe to implode upon itself erasing our entire existence as we know it. I give it a 9 because there is always room for improvement and personalization.

Cons? - I suppose I am questioned to be dishonest or biased if I don't include what I perceive to be cons. I would have liked to seen Matthew Mello and Nick Verna in the DVD teaching their signature routines that is shown in the original demo. I have crediting questions based on what I saw in the demo and who is credited in the end of the video.

The audience reactions tell the real tale of the story here folks. If you are into methods and choose to ignore how magical something looks for your spectators then I am not sure anything in magic is ever going to satisfy you. If you are into blowing minds and doing what your spectators will believe was utterly impossible, then you are in for a real treat here.

Matthew and Nick have given us the genuine article here with the production assistance of Ellusionist. You now have an impromptu borrowed bottle, borrowed coin, which can be signed, to use in your everyday repetoire.

Practice this effect, pay attention to the subtleties and handlings, and most of all please respect the amount of work Matthew and Nick put into bringing this to us all by performing this up to the standards by which it was taught. If you have the chance to be around Nick you will get the first hand authentic feel of his magic. If you have the chance to be around Matthew and see him perform, I hear his vertical Airborne routine shatters that line between reality and fantasy.

As with my Factory Sealed review I am again giving you my honest opinion of what I saw in the DVD/Download. I have been around since these were being whispered about and no one knew anything and watched people make statements that were often misleading and crossing the line between hype and realism. My expectations for Bullet were extremely high given the time frame we were given to anticipate this release. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that it was worth the wait and this is one of the few effects I will never regret spending my hard earned dollars on.

--Jim

 

[AndyAce]

Can this be performed impromptu with a signed coin that is much bigger than the neck of the bottle?

If a simple "yes or no" would lead to exposure, you can don't answer the question.

 

[Jeremy Hanrahan]

Can this be performed impromptu with a signed coin that is much bigger than the neck of the bottle?

If a simple "yes or no" would lead to exposure, you can don't answer the question.

Don't answer him Jim

 

[Cory Chapin]

Why??????????

 

[black_dove]

Why??????????

Because thats a ridiculous question!
I mean hes talking like a half dollar or something, signed!
I think you can, BUT even if you couldnt... who signs a half dollar anyways?
I treasure the few i have.
And if you mean quarters, then yes, you can. (from what i heard, my dvds havnt come in the mail yet)

 

[AndyAce]

I am asking this because Matt the creator of Bullet mentioned that it could be done with a big coin. He said it can be signed.

However, he did not mention if the big signed coin version can be done impromptu.

Hence I'm asking if it is possible.

who signs a half dollar anyways

Why can't people sign a half dollar? In Fraud Daniel Garcia had people sign on 1 dollar bills.

 

[jimbowmanjr]

I am asking this because Matt the creator of Bullet mentioned that it could be done with a big coin. He said it can be signed.

However, he did not mention if the big signed coin version can be done impromptu.

Hence I'm asking if it is possible.



Why can't people sign a half dollar? In Fraud Daniel Garcia had people sign on 1 dollar bills.

Then I think you should direct the question to Matthew because it isn't taught how it is done in the DVD/Download, but you are given the groundwork for how it could be done in Factory Sealed and Bullet. If it can be done and appears impromptu to the spectator I am not sure what the fuss is about. You are stretching this beyond what is actually taught, which is what I can comment on. If you want/need additional handlings you will need to come up with them by working them out yourself, which is entirely possible given the breadth of material you are taught between these two videos. Sometimes we just have to put a bit of work into things ourselves to make it happen, but you are only building on what these guys have already built as the groundwork.

In the states here no one actually carries half dollar coins around to begin with, at most it is going to be a quarter if we are truly sticking to the impromptu theme. The half dollar coins I personally carry around I would never write on to begin with because they cost me quite a few more dollars than their stated face value.

Cheers,

--Jim

 

[AndyAce]

If it can be done and appears impromptu to the spectator I am not sure what the fuss is about

Thank you so much for your answer. So it cannot be done impromptu. But it can appear to be impromptu to the spectator.

I'm asking that because I'm afraid I have misread Matt's post. He said it can be done with a big coin, but he did not said if it can be done impromptu.

An impromptu CTB using big signed coin would be revolutionary. But I guess it is not possible with the CTBs we have now.

In the states here no one actually carries half dollar coins around to begin with, at most it is going to be a quarter if we are truly sticking to the impromptu theme. The half dollar coins I personally carry around I would never write on to begin with because they cost me quite a few more dollars than their stated face value.

Well, actually I'm just asking about coins that are bigger than the neck of the bottle.

And for your information, you can wash away the ink on most coins. So you can sign on it, wash the ink away and still use it.

 

[clllllust]

Great review, I must say. I bought Bullet myself except my password code I was given didn't work for acquiring the video license. It makes me even more gitty about watching it, and from what you've said sounds like a very impossible sounding trick with very real and clean moves. Very great review on this and Factory Sealed, I may just have to buy that one 2.

-RA69

 

[The Dark Angel]

Whats the price?
In the leaked demo, the bottled used appeared to be a Gatorade/Vitamin Water bottle, could it be done with, lets say a coke bottle?

 

[Aris.SA]

can you perform bullet o factory sealed with a glass bottle?

 

[cklam]

It's really difficult to choose after reading the reviews of both tricks, since both sounds really really great ; but I don't have the budget to buy both of them.

So, I just want to ask you (or anyone who own both effects), which one (bullet or factory sealed) will you be performing MORE OFTEN for the reason that it's more practical than the other.

 

[Jeremy Hanrahan]

Support the great creators of Magic Andy, and just buy the download. Time is money and you have wasted more time asking questions.Just buy it, then you can offer an opinion. Do not go one with what others say, just buy it.

 

[AndyAce]

Support the great creators of Magic Andy, and just buy the download. Time is money and you have wasted more time asking questions.Just buy it, then you can offer an opinion. Do not go one with what others say, just buy it.

Actually my questions have been answered. I would not ask any other questions.

I will be getting it if it can be done impromptu with a big signed coin. That would be something different, something revolutionary, something I would consider paying $24.95 for.

The penetration is great, but it is just as great as many other CTBs I have seen.

I think I would just stick to other CTBs.

 

[Jeremy Hanrahan]

Actually my questions have been answered. I would not ask any other questions.

I will be getting it if it can be done impromptu with a big signed coin. That would be something different, something revolutionary, something I would consider paying $24.95 for.

The penetration is great, but it is just as great as many other CTBs I have seen.

I think I would just stick to other CTBs.

Excellent.

 

[sean]

Hi guys,

I have only one question and i sincerely hope whoever purchased bullet will answer this:

Can bullet be performed if the base of the plastic bottle is not totally flat ie. it's a concave base or a rounded base with 'grooves'.

If this is bordering on exposure, don't answer.

Thank you!

 

[jimbowmanjr]

Hi guys,

I have only one question and i sincerely hope whoever purchased bullet will answer this:

Can bullet be performed if the base of the plastic bottle is not totally flat ie. it's a concave base or a rounded base with 'grooves'.

If this is bordering on exposure, don't answer.

Thank you!

Yes it can. In fact you will see that almost any and every plastic bottle out there has some type of concave base to it with very few having completely flat bottoms. The grooves are also not an issue as I tested it last night with a few different bottles around the house, two of which had those vertical grooves from the base to the neck. The bottles used during the teaching actually all had that bubble in the base of the bottle.

--Jim

 

[sean]

Jim, Thank you very much for your prompt reply. I appreciate it.

As i am not residing in the US, i was just a little afraid that there would be 'bottle restrictions'. If i buy this, it would be my first cib so i would like to know what i'm working with. Satisfied with the answer, thanks again

 

[THEGUY26]

Because thats a ridiculous question!
I mean hes talking like a half dollar or something, signed!
I think you can, BUT even if you couldnt... who signs a half dollar anyways?
I treasure the few i have.
And if you mean quarters, then yes, you can. (from what i heard, my dvds havnt come in the mail yet)

Actually, Nick says he's performed Factory Sealed with a signed half dollar. He's that good.

 

[chainzero]

Technically you can do Bullet with a coin bigger than the neck, but it cannot be signed. Regardless, I absolutely love Bullet. Looks amazing (although one can argue that some other stuff on the market looks the same), but the extra handlings and subtleties really puts it onto the next level. It reminds me a lot of Sinful, which is a very good thing.