The Wicked World of Liam Montier-Volume 2
Price: $26.25
Where: Penguin Magic
Review for Volume 1: Volume 1!
NOTE: The production, menu, performances, crediting, and teaching sections of this review are the same as my review for Volume 1.
Production: This is a Big Blind Media production so, as we have come to expect from them, the production quality is excellent. The graphics are not overdone or distracting and the picture quality is very clear. You can hear everything very well and the music fits the theme of the dvd. There is absolutely nothing to worry about in this category. It's a very well-produced dvd.
The Menu: There are just four simple options on the menu, which make for easy access. You can press Play All, Performances, Explanations, and Credits. If you press Play All, all of the effects will play in performance then explanation, next performance then explanation, etc. Of course all of the performances and explanations can be accessed on demand from the other sections on the menu, as mentioned above. Nothing to worry about in this category either.
Performances: All of the performances are done in a black studio with "psycho-bunny," which is played by David Forrest. You can see what all the performances look like from watching the demo. The bunny might distract some people who are a bit less tolerant to goofiness on magic dvd's, but personally I thought it was funny, entertaining, and much better to watch than some bored spectator who clearly doesn't want to be there.
Crediting: The crediting for each effect rolls across the bottom of the screen at the beginning of each explanation. This was a little distracting, but it only goes on for about 30 seconds at most, but you can still just rewind for those few seconds if you think you missed anything. I think I would've liked it better if the credits were at the end of each trick, like BBM did with Killer Gaft Magic (A great dvd by the way). Either way, the credits are clear, concise and they don't take up a long portion of the explanation, which I enjoyed.
Teaching: The teaching on the disc is entertaining and does what it's supposed to do; explain the effect. Liam often offers little tips or ideas to change the method and/or presentation. The ever jubilant Owen Packard accompanies Liam during the explanation and makes sure to ask questions that we, the viewers might have when watching the dvd. He also provided some entertainment and funny banter with Liam to make the explanation not so dry. I really like this format of teaching, and as a result I found I was able to learn everything with no problem.
My Rating System-
I rate on a scale of 1 to 5. It is broken down like this:
5-Awesome
4-Great
3-Okay
2-Bad
1-Awful
Now that you know the rating system, I’ll describe and give my thoughts on each of the effects presented on The Wicked World of Liam Montier Volume 2.
The Effects:
Measles: An "infected" card (It has spots drawn on the back of it with marker) is introduced from your pocket. Let's say it's a joker. You rub the infected back of the card onto the top of the deck. One by one you cause four other random cards to become "infected." With just a breath of fresh air, the spots vanish from all the cards, including the original infected card. It's a fun effect that uses a simple gaff that you probably already have. It makes the handling VERY simple and because of the routine structure, you can do this at anytime with any deck (as long as it's the same kind). It's not really a fantastic routine, but it's something you might get a kick out of doing, and your spectator's will probably have fun with. There's just a lot of room for fun in this presentation. That seems to be a theme in Liam's magic; fun. 4/5
Coin In Case: A coin is borrowed and tossed at a cellophane wrapped card case. The coin penetrates through the cellophane instantly. The cello is drawn off the case about half-way so it forms a little clear plastic pocket with the coin trapped inside. However, with just a rub the coin visually melts straight through the cello. With another toss of the coin, it visually penetrates into the cello chamber again. Everything can then be immediately examined. Although it is sometimes difficult to keep the cello wrapper on a deck of cards (As Owen points out), if you manage to do so, this is a nice effect that you can carry on your deck of cards without taking up any more space (Great for walk-around). The cards and case are totally useable too, because they have not been tampered with. The visual nature and repeated penetrations of the coin really convince the spectator that the coin is truly just somehow passing through the solid plastic. I can see myself, as well as a lot of other close-up guys enjoying this. 4/5
Little Miss Show: This is an extra sequence you can include in your ACR. Essentially a card has been selected, signed and placed back. You perform your favorite ACR, then at some point, the wrong card comes up. The card seems close enough to the real card, so you decide to make some little changes with a marker to the card. The card is rubbed and the faux card changes to the real card. You can continue on with your ACR or just stop there and give the card away. Personally I don't think it's worth all the trouble of going through one card every performance and ending dirty, and making sure your set-up is in place. IMO it's too petty of an effect to warrant me totally ruining another card for it. I must say that it is kind've a fun little piece of business though. For that it gets 3/5
Sock-It: A copper and silver coin are dumped out of a sock (clean, mind you) and the spectator chooses one. The other one is placed back into the sock. The spectator holds onto the ends of the sock and you slap the coin that the spectator chose against the sock and it penetrates through. Everything can be examined of course. I really like how much audience involvement there is in this routine. HOWEVER...you're using a sock! If you are working in a restaurant, people aren't going to want to touch your sock! They don't know what you did with that sock, no matter how good it smells at the moment. Plus, if people are watching from other tables, they're probably not going to establish a good image of you from seeing you make a spectator hold a sock. If you are working in a formal situation this could actually be a very funny piece. SO, the effect is clear and simple, and the use of the sock could be both a blessing or a curse, based on your performance venue. 4/5
Bandit: Cards are dealt one at a time face-down as you ask a spectator to stop you at any time. When they do, you deal off the face-down card and a face-up ace appears at the same time. This happens three more times until the aces and all produced. Then the aces are turned over to reveal that they have opposite color backs. This one was pretty bad IMO. The handling looks almost exactly like what it really is. There isn't much logic to it either. The whole idea just seems not really thought-out and a bit unfinished. What is the point of the spectator saying stop if you just end up producing the aces from wherever? Why do the backs change color? In addition, it seems like it looks the best from above, not from the front. In short there are much more better, logical ace productions out there. 2/5
(Look for Part two below!)
Price: $26.25
Where: Penguin Magic
Review for Volume 1: Volume 1!
NOTE: The production, menu, performances, crediting, and teaching sections of this review are the same as my review for Volume 1.
Production: This is a Big Blind Media production so, as we have come to expect from them, the production quality is excellent. The graphics are not overdone or distracting and the picture quality is very clear. You can hear everything very well and the music fits the theme of the dvd. There is absolutely nothing to worry about in this category. It's a very well-produced dvd.
The Menu: There are just four simple options on the menu, which make for easy access. You can press Play All, Performances, Explanations, and Credits. If you press Play All, all of the effects will play in performance then explanation, next performance then explanation, etc. Of course all of the performances and explanations can be accessed on demand from the other sections on the menu, as mentioned above. Nothing to worry about in this category either.
Performances: All of the performances are done in a black studio with "psycho-bunny," which is played by David Forrest. You can see what all the performances look like from watching the demo. The bunny might distract some people who are a bit less tolerant to goofiness on magic dvd's, but personally I thought it was funny, entertaining, and much better to watch than some bored spectator who clearly doesn't want to be there.
Crediting: The crediting for each effect rolls across the bottom of the screen at the beginning of each explanation. This was a little distracting, but it only goes on for about 30 seconds at most, but you can still just rewind for those few seconds if you think you missed anything. I think I would've liked it better if the credits were at the end of each trick, like BBM did with Killer Gaft Magic (A great dvd by the way). Either way, the credits are clear, concise and they don't take up a long portion of the explanation, which I enjoyed.
Teaching: The teaching on the disc is entertaining and does what it's supposed to do; explain the effect. Liam often offers little tips or ideas to change the method and/or presentation. The ever jubilant Owen Packard accompanies Liam during the explanation and makes sure to ask questions that we, the viewers might have when watching the dvd. He also provided some entertainment and funny banter with Liam to make the explanation not so dry. I really like this format of teaching, and as a result I found I was able to learn everything with no problem.
My Rating System-
I rate on a scale of 1 to 5. It is broken down like this:
5-Awesome
4-Great
3-Okay
2-Bad
1-Awful
Now that you know the rating system, I’ll describe and give my thoughts on each of the effects presented on The Wicked World of Liam Montier Volume 2.
The Effects:
Measles: An "infected" card (It has spots drawn on the back of it with marker) is introduced from your pocket. Let's say it's a joker. You rub the infected back of the card onto the top of the deck. One by one you cause four other random cards to become "infected." With just a breath of fresh air, the spots vanish from all the cards, including the original infected card. It's a fun effect that uses a simple gaff that you probably already have. It makes the handling VERY simple and because of the routine structure, you can do this at anytime with any deck (as long as it's the same kind). It's not really a fantastic routine, but it's something you might get a kick out of doing, and your spectator's will probably have fun with. There's just a lot of room for fun in this presentation. That seems to be a theme in Liam's magic; fun. 4/5
Coin In Case: A coin is borrowed and tossed at a cellophane wrapped card case. The coin penetrates through the cellophane instantly. The cello is drawn off the case about half-way so it forms a little clear plastic pocket with the coin trapped inside. However, with just a rub the coin visually melts straight through the cello. With another toss of the coin, it visually penetrates into the cello chamber again. Everything can then be immediately examined. Although it is sometimes difficult to keep the cello wrapper on a deck of cards (As Owen points out), if you manage to do so, this is a nice effect that you can carry on your deck of cards without taking up any more space (Great for walk-around). The cards and case are totally useable too, because they have not been tampered with. The visual nature and repeated penetrations of the coin really convince the spectator that the coin is truly just somehow passing through the solid plastic. I can see myself, as well as a lot of other close-up guys enjoying this. 4/5
Little Miss Show: This is an extra sequence you can include in your ACR. Essentially a card has been selected, signed and placed back. You perform your favorite ACR, then at some point, the wrong card comes up. The card seems close enough to the real card, so you decide to make some little changes with a marker to the card. The card is rubbed and the faux card changes to the real card. You can continue on with your ACR or just stop there and give the card away. Personally I don't think it's worth all the trouble of going through one card every performance and ending dirty, and making sure your set-up is in place. IMO it's too petty of an effect to warrant me totally ruining another card for it. I must say that it is kind've a fun little piece of business though. For that it gets 3/5
Sock-It: A copper and silver coin are dumped out of a sock (clean, mind you) and the spectator chooses one. The other one is placed back into the sock. The spectator holds onto the ends of the sock and you slap the coin that the spectator chose against the sock and it penetrates through. Everything can be examined of course. I really like how much audience involvement there is in this routine. HOWEVER...you're using a sock! If you are working in a restaurant, people aren't going to want to touch your sock! They don't know what you did with that sock, no matter how good it smells at the moment. Plus, if people are watching from other tables, they're probably not going to establish a good image of you from seeing you make a spectator hold a sock. If you are working in a formal situation this could actually be a very funny piece. SO, the effect is clear and simple, and the use of the sock could be both a blessing or a curse, based on your performance venue. 4/5
Bandit: Cards are dealt one at a time face-down as you ask a spectator to stop you at any time. When they do, you deal off the face-down card and a face-up ace appears at the same time. This happens three more times until the aces and all produced. Then the aces are turned over to reveal that they have opposite color backs. This one was pretty bad IMO. The handling looks almost exactly like what it really is. There isn't much logic to it either. The whole idea just seems not really thought-out and a bit unfinished. What is the point of the spectator saying stop if you just end up producing the aces from wherever? Why do the backs change color? In addition, it seems like it looks the best from above, not from the front. In short there are much more better, logical ace productions out there. 2/5
(Look for Part two below!)
