Review of "Air Freshener" by Michael Wood

[HeCtic]

Hey guys. I just posted a review of this on another forum and thought I would move it here. Before I get started, I'd like to let you know that if you purchase this from Michael, before October 1st, you are entered into a contest to win some great things including an unopened pack of jerry's. For more details go here: http://mwoodmagic.blogspot.com/

Alright, here is the review:


Hey guys. I'm here today to do a review of Micheal Wood's (mycoolwould) new set of effects. The booklet is called "AIR FRESHENER". It contains a total of 4 effects with a few variations. Mike was kind enough to give me a discount and a pre-release if I would write up a review. So thanks a lot to Mike for that. He also sent me a digital copy which will not be available. So the service from him was great. You can be sure that you will get your package even though he isn't a mainstream retailer. So without further adieu, let's start the review

My Rating System:

5=Extraordinary. The best rating. Not given out willy nilly.
4=Excellent. An awesome rating to get.
3=Average. In no way bad. Just not the highest.
2=Mediocre. Could have been better. Lacking.
1=Poor. Downright bad.

------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This booklet is aimed at close up, personal magic. ALL of the effects in here are great for breaking the ice whether it's at a party, a bar, or just around town. Most of the tricks involve a very little amount of setup and the gimmicks can most likely be made with things you have lying around the house. That being said, let's take a closer look at AIR FRESHENER.


The service:

Like I mentioned above, Michael went above and beyond with the service provided. Initially, he messed up my address but it's understandable because he was still in the hospital(or just out). So he re-sent the book immediately AND sent an electronic copy. So I was impressed. If you were at all nervous about buying directly through him and PayPal, DON'T BE! You WILL get your package.

My Rating for Service: 5/5 Thanks a lot Mike, for the effort you put in too getting this too me! Especially since for part of it, you weren't feeling well.


THE EFFECTS :

Overview: In this section I am going to be describing the effects. I will give each one a rating based on a few things including ease of performance, practicality, creativity, and my personal thoughts. So lets get started.

UPC

Effect:

- A bar code becomes a weapon of seduction in this effect that is guaranteed to spice things up. Break the ice, make a great first impression, and give away your phone number all in one stunning effect.

Trick description:

You and her lock eyes from across the room. You want to get to know her. You approach and introduce yourself. She’s interested. You ask her if she wants to see something...
What follows is one of the best ways to exchange numbers ever! A seriously wonderful piece of magic that takes any product from your spectator’s person and turns it into the ultimate ice breaker. Any product from your spectator’s purse or table is freely selected. The bar code is removed and your name written on its backside. She takes out her cell phone and dials the bar code from HER product. To her surprise (and your delight) your cell phone begins ringing. Numbers are exchanged. Ice is broken. The rest is up to you. This is seriously a great piece of magic. Not only can this be used as a weapon of seduction, the principle can be applied to a multitude of effects and presentation ideas. You are gonna love this.

That is basically the trick. In my own words, if that wasn't clear, a spectators barcode is peeled off, and when the 10 digits are dialed, they lead to your phone number.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: I heard about this trick and my initial thoughts were "well that's snazzy (hell yea I used that word)". Currently, I don't need a way to hand out my phone number (taken, sorry ladies and Jarrod ) but I thought it sounded like a great trick.

EASE OF PERFORMANCE: It's deceptively simple and if performed well, you don't really need to do too much. This way you can work on your acting skills. Pretend to be a cool guy if you so desire. The only work that you need to put in is in making the gimmick. In half an hour, assuming you have the right supplies, you could put together dozens of the gimmicks for all sorts of occasions. I'm not going to go into too much detail because that is really the only thing behind this one. It's really a clever trick.

Ease of performance rating: 5/5. If you have hands, you can perform this trick. The only thing that requires minimal skill is the gimmick setup which is still relatively easy.

PRACTICALITY:
The practicality of this effect all depends on how you present it and how much you like to carry around with you. I personally like to carry nothing but a deck of cards with me but for a working performer that has a magic case, this is nothing. The gimmicks take up almost no space. You could fit 10-30 in your pockets. So for all intents and purposes, it's quite practical. It includes NO crazy setup/ridiculous gimmicks. There is nothing unnatural to suspect when you start and end.

Practicality Rating: 4.5/5 Which is strictly because of my bias for gimmicks. This is DEFINITELY not a lot to carry or use but I have trouble giving anything gimmicked a 5 (minus one other effect on here). Nothing against Mike or his effect.

CREATIVITY:This effect is smothered in creative sauce. It is so simple in thought. There is plenty of motivation for all the "moves" if you even can call them that. If you didn't gather it from earlier, once you make the gimmicks, there is almost no work to do. That is what I love about this effect. It is definitely one of the most clever things I've seen in a while

Creativity Rating: 5/5. The 5 it received was based on the gimmick. I wish I could say more about it. If you buy it you will understand what I mean.

Personal Notes: I really like this effect. I'm not sure how often I will use it primarily because of my bias towards gimmicks. THAT IS BY FAR no reason to not like this though. If I got off my lazy ass and made some I'd surely perform it. I probably will, it just might be a while. Mike, you have created a gem here. This is definitely a great effect

OVERALL PERSONAL RATING:4/5 The effect is creative, practical, and not hard to do. Basically what anyone could ask for in a trick. Based on my own personally bias against gimmicks, I did not give it a 5 but your opinions may vary. A 4 is NOTHING to laugh at though. It is not an easy rating to recieve. Well done on this one Mike. Its a keeper.

 

[HeCtic]

JELLYBOX

Effect:

Your card (or cigarette) box takes center stage as you transform it into a solid, clear box, then cause small objects including living insects to visually penetrate it. The box can be borrowed.

Trick Description:

A clear box is constructed in full view of your audience by sliding the cellophane on your card or cigarette box down. You are then able cause coins and other small items to penetrate the cellophane box. Kick it up to the next level by causing a living insect to penetrate the box. But the fun's not over yet. Once the bug has penetrated the box, visually “clone” the living insect.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: When I first read about the effect, it reminded my of the trick on 5 when Marcus gets a nickel into a tic tac box. I always loved that trick, and I was excited that Mike had his own. When I read about the live bug and CLONING it, I was shocked. I couldn't put together how it could be done. Thats what makes the method even more exciting. So let's get started.

EASE OF PERFORMANCE: Once again, Michael has created a great one. Not only is it visually stunning, it is relatively easy to do. You only do ONE, that's right ONE sleight. If you can do a French Drop (not that one sleight), then you can do this effect. It's really easy. The only part that is a bit knacky, you can easily get down in 20 minutes of practice. I read this last night and I've got it down already.

Ease of Performance Rating: 4/5 This effect is not AS easy as UPC but there is not a lot involved in perfecting it. That is what makes it so great!

PRACTICALITY: This effect is really quite practical. It requires NO gimmicks. All you need is a card box that still has cellophane. This can be performed with only a little bit of practice and you can perform it anytime anywhere given you have some cellophane with you. Personally, I'm just going to leave some of it on the box at all times. I intend to perform this trick all the time.

Practicality Rating: 5/5 In terms of practicality, this effect is as good as it gets. Especially for me because of my relative hate for gimmicks. This can be performed naked. I'm not sure why you would but hey, to each his own. This is definitely an effect I will be using.

CREATIVITY:This effect is pretty creative because of how different it is. Like I mentioned earlier, it reminds me of the effect from 5 (I believe it was that dvd) however, the LIVING bug adds a nice twist that I've never seen before. All in all I would call it a relatively creative trick.

Creativity Rating: 3.5/5 The only downside to the CREATIVITY aspect is the resemblance to the other effect. The bug part did take me by surprise though. I do think this effect is quite creative. Don't take a 3.5 as a BAD rating. It is not.

Personal Notes: I really enjoy this effect. It is relatively simple to do and it is visually awesome. The part that I love is the visual impossibility of it and the added twist to do it with bugs. Living bugs. That makes the whole experience more impossible in the eyes of the spectator.

OVERALL PERSONAL RATING: 4.5/5 I like this effect a lot. I intend on using it quite a bit. The one thing that made this rating higher then the last is once again the lack of gimmicks in this one. In my eyes that makes it a better effect. That may not be true for you but this is a review of my thoughts. So that's what I think. One of my favorites!



SMOKING SECTION:

Effect:

Produce wisps of smoke from your body at a moments notice. Take it to the next level by pushing your smoking finger through a full deck of cards. Leaves you with 52 smoking hot souvenirs for you audience.

Trick Description:

You talk for a moment about spontaneous human combustion and the karate kid movies. You then rub your hands together and produce thick wisps of smoke. Not content to end it here you take your smoking finger, wind back and shove it straight through a full deck of cards leaving your spectators with 52 smoking hot souvenirs to take home and worship.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: When I first heard about this I had my doubts. I expected it to be some crazy gimmick that I would never use and would take forever to make. When he said no gimmicks, I nearly shot myself. There was no way...turns out I was wrong. He was like YES WAY!


EASE OF PERFORMANCE: This trick is "interesting" to perform. I wouldn't call it hard per say. Just...interesting. The method is so unbelievably off beat. Credit goes partially to Anthony Mackley for creating part of this but the application is wild. It's so hard to explain because it is thinking so far outside the box. I didn't even know it was possible. Mike stands by his word when he says ungimmicked. It truly is. There is some setup but there is no device that produces smoke!

Ease of Performance Rating: 4/5 The only thing that holds me back from rating this higher is the setup. Not because it is really hard or takes forever, it's just so different. It...well...there isn't much more to say.

PRACTICALITY: This once again feels like an unfair rating because of this massive bias I have. This ISN'T a gimmick however the setup is just so atypical. This DOES NOT mean that it is drawn out or hard but just different. There isn't a whole lot I can say. This is not an effect that you can perform on the spot but with the 5 minutes or so of prep you could. No please correct me if I'm wrong Michael but I don't believe you can set this up and perform other tricks before hand. From what I could tell it is a one shot trick. So you'd have to open with this. Another thing that brings down the practicality in my mind is that you can't set up in front of people. So you can't do this halfway through your show. This is kind of a bummer because the effect is INCREDIBLE.

Practicality Rating: 3/5 All the reasoning behind this rating is up there. ^^

CREATIVITY: HOLY SH*T. That is almost everything I can say about this. UNBELIEVABLE. This is where the trick excels. It is incredibly visual. It looks so good and you END CLEAN. Everything can be examined and you can hand the deck (holes and all) to the spectator as a souvenir.

Creativity Rating: 6/5 The method behind this effect thinks SO far outside of the box. The concept is wild and makes for a uniquely visual effect that will leave your spectator speechless. Once again, this can be performed naked, so you are totally examinable in the end (no pun intended). This makes the trick. The creative and visual aspect.

Personal Notes: I love this effect. If I find the time to get the setup done, and done correctly, I would LOVE to perform this. It is stunning. May I just repeat this NO GIMMICKS!!!

OVERALL PERSONAL RATING: 5/5 I love this. It is so different and such a great effect. Despite the setup.

 

[HeCtic]

UNEXPECTED GUEST:

Effect:

A card is sandwiched between two jokers. Visually it vanishes and makes an appearance wedged between the card box and the cellophane of a pack held by the spectator.

Trick Description:

: A selected card is sandwiched between two jokers. The three card sandwich is given a slight shake and visually the selected card vanishes. It travels slowly through the air in billions of tiny particles, passes through the molecular structure of a cellophane wrapper and reforms itself only to be stuck in between the cellophane and the card box, held by the spectator since the beginning of the effect.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: When I read this trick I had VERY high hopes. I LOVE sandwich effects. This is more like a reverse sandwich but none the less. I was excited for this one. Thankfully, he didn't disappoint.

EASE OF PERFORMANCE: This effect is relatively easy to perform. There IS a gimmick but I like this effect so much that I don't care :shocked:. The gimmick is easy to make and I've already started formulating a variation that I might make a video of soon. Once you have the gimmick, the trick isn't so bad. There is a little work you have to put into (more then the others at least). You need some basic knowledge like card forces and some palming. However, Michael goes over in detail how to do some of these things if you are a beginner and don't quite know.

Ease of Performance Rating: 3/5 It is NOT a hard effect to perform and you can make variations that achieve the same effect. The only reason I rated it a 3 is only in comparison to the other effects in the book. It is certainly no clipshift. But it isn't UPC either.

PRACTICALITY: Contrary to what I've been saying the rest of the post, this trick has a gimmick and I LOVE IT. I think my love for sandwich effects (and this particular one) overcomes my hatred for gimmicks. In this case, the gimmick is not hard to make and you can use it for hundreds of performances. It is simple to make and use.

Practicality Rating: 5/5 Yep. Everything I needed to say is right there ^^^

CREATIVITY: This effect is brilliant. It mixes some sleight of hand (which in my mind is a plus) with and easy to make and use gimmick. It is quite simple to get everything set up and keep everything hidden until the end. If you use a simple palm at the end, you can hand out the deck for examination. I can't say anything bad about this one

Creativity Rating: 5/5. Once again, not much more to say. All my praise is up there ^^^

Personal Notes: This is probably my favorite effect of them all. This is once again, based on my love of sandwiches, and sleight of hand. I like the other effects and I stand by my rating but I just LOVE this one. Well done Michael.

OVERALL PERSONAL RATING: 5/5 (if you didn't see that coming, you obviously didn't read it all).


--------------------------------


TEACHING:

Michael does an excellent job teaching EVERYTHING in the booklet. He goes over every detail and nuance from building the gimmicks to performing, and even a little dating advice. He added some humor that really made reading all of it that much more enjoyable. For those of you that prefer magic DVDs to books, this will be no problem. Everything was explained clearly and this is definitely a step into magician manhood.

Teaching Rating: 5/5





This was a purchase that was definitely worth my time. Had it NOT been I wouldn't have written all this. Mike is an excellent magician and these ARE effects you will be using. Do yourself a favor and buy this...you heard me.

BUY IT!

 

[AdamF]

wow. Fantastic review.

 

[HeCtic]

Thanks. 18000 characters later. Haha. Thanks for the comment. It is a pretty brilliant little product. It will soon be available through our store at http://www.magiciansklub.com So be on the lookout for that!