(Hank) Moorehouse 1934 – 2011 - The Society of American Magicians

to tea leaf reading, Montalbano has expanded upon the theme of
utilizing a pareidolic skill set to include Blei Giessen, (a German
divination system used at the New Year that involves the melting
of lead figures and dropping them into water so the that the reconstructed
shapes can be interpreted to reveal meaning for the
coming year), wax splatter readings, dry tea and herb readings,
and finally lipstick print readings, which are sure to be popular at
singles events and other parties. Unlike the Tarot DVD set, there
are no subtitles with this set. Instruction on the ethics of reading
and a business model on how to get bookings doing such readings
are once again supplied and are worth the second exposure. Demonstrations
of sample readings are also provided. Altogether,
I found this to be an enjoyable set and am looking forward to
adding tea leaf readings to my own social repertoire.
The classic Force dVd
by phil Jay
Available from JB Magic and Mark Mason
Distributed by Murphy’s Magic Supplies
Price $30.00
revieW by norman beCK
I had never heard of Phil Jay, but
then I don’t get out much, and Phil
Jay is not a magic dealer/lecturer
kind of guy. Phil Jay is a worker
and one of the tools he uses, and
uses a bunch, is the classic force.
I think it is one thing to learn a
sleight from a guy who makes his
living selling things to magicians and
another thing to learn from a guy who
makes his living doing magic for the real
world and getting paid to entertain. That is why
you have never heard of Phil Jay.
He works, and when you work you get good at your craft. The
DVD teaches you how to do a classic force and a touch force, and
offers tips that only come from doing them over and over again.
The DVD has a fair amount of actual footage of Mr. Jay doing it
for real people in the real world. I think this is really good money
spent for one of the most important moves one can learn in card
magic.
rizer dVd
by b. smiTh and eric ross
Distributed by Murphy’s Magic Supplies
Price $30.00
revieW by antonio m. Cabral
Rizer takes dead aim at the street magic
crowd, and, with any luck, it’ll succeed.
Martin Lewis’s Cardiographic is undoubtedly
a classic. Now imagine
being able to do it without the
pad. Imagine being able to do it
on your own bare skin, without
surgery. That’s Rizer.
B. Smith and Eric Ross came up
with the idea independently, and then
got their heads together to come up
with this ultra-accessible, killer piece of
street close-up. In the basic version, after the obligatory card is
selected, you roll up your sleeve and draw a picture of a playing
card on your forearm with a Sharpie in an attempt to divine the
selection. It’s the wrong card, but you save the day by announcing
the drawing is actually a deck of cards and the selected card
is somewhere in the middle. You then grab your forearm, give it a
shake or two, and the drawing animates to show the selected card
rising up out of the middle of the deck – in ink. You’re left with
the complete image indelibly scribbled on your flesh. If you want
to end as in the Martin Lewis original, you can tear the skin with
the drawing on it off your forearm and give it to the spectator as a
souvenir. Okay, you can’t. Rather, you shouldn’t, but I’ll bet David
Blaine or Dan Sperry figure out how.
This is a great idea. It’s a strong idea, and it’s a diabolical
idea. The method comes straight out of another classic effect – if
I said which, I’d give the game away. It’s good enough that I’m
actually a little disappointed I can’t do it. Not “can’t” as in skill
(although I’m betting my skin would give me trouble trying to
perform this), but “can’t” the same way Woody Allen never casts
Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lead in his films. I wear suit jackets
and ties. I have no tattoos. If I want to draw a picture or write
something down, I carry paper or index cards. Barring developing
Memento-like problems with my memory, I’m not going to
roll up my sleeve and start scrawling on myself in Sharpie in front
of people. Penn & Teller could do this in suits. I can’t. And given
how good this idea is, that’s a bit of a shame.
The instructions on this DVD are crystal-clear. Nothing is
supplied (save a pill fob keychain to carry the “secret stuff”), but
a quick trip to your corner drug store and you’re all set. There’s
the basic version I described, and another where you have two
cards selected and get an extra “pop” by getting the first divination
right. The necessary basic card moves are taught for both
versions. But who cares? The card rises up on your skin! Plus
they give some very helpful tips for being able to repeat the effect
if needed, and ultimately how to get all that permanent ink off
your flesh. The only other “problem” some might have is that the
“height” of the rise is only about the width of a Sharpie itself.
The effect, however, is so startling and flat-out cool that it really
doesn’t matter. Heck, it might not even matter if you get the card
wrong.
The one suggestion I’m surprised no one mentioned anywhere
on Rizer (probably for legal and demographic reasons) is the one
way I could conceive performing this effect for myself: actually
get the image tattooed on your arm. You lose the immediacy of
apparently creating the drawing right in front of the audience,
but imagine rolling up your sleeve to reveal an actual, permanent
inked-in-the-flesh tattoo, and making a card rise up out of that.
Whether or not you follow up with a belly-dancing mermaid or a
chorus or three of “Lydia the Tattooed Lady” is up to you. I can’t
recommend this trick to everyone, but holy cow, is it ever a great
idea. Kudos, gentlemen.
laws oF aTTracTion dVd
by shooT ogawa
Distributed by Murphy’s Magic Supplies
Price $35.00
revieW by antonio m. Cabral
The trick explained on Shoot Ogawa’s Laws of Attraction
is an interesting example of how an “effect” can be widely
open to interpretation. When I first saw the DVD box copy that
discussed how Shoot’s technique will allow you to “magnetize
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