Ok so i read some of the reviews, and it said if you were a beginner to metal magic(i was)It would
be a good place to start. Well, i just waisted 55 bucks. well forty five, the book test on the
second dvd, there is one on both, i have used(well i modified it a lot, but the principle was good
to know.)
just when i thought i had waisted my money, he comes to a trick, and i thought man,
that may have made it worth my money....he begins to explain it, the his phone rings and he walks
off and the credits role.
besides the lack of valuable content, his teaching style is not
good. His stage presence(and teaching)is really annoying and it makes it really hard to watch. avoid
it.
7 of 7 magicians found this helpful.
Hello i did purchase these ones and they are quite expensive and it doesn't have too powerful tricks
but they are great openers and they are impromptu it should be like 25 dollars or 19 dollars for
both but if money is no problem it does deserve to get 3 stars because most are impromptu and its
great openers if you wanna open with something not that impressive.
6 of 6 magicians found this helpful.
If you have any working knowledge whatsoever of mentalism, don't waste your time with this.
Everything is very basic, easy to figure out on your own, lacking good patter and scripting, and
mostly all fluff. It's the kind of material you get in one of those boxed magic kits you buy at the
mall, essentially the mentalism version of cheap plastic gimmicks. I didn't use anything from the
DVD's and the one effect that caught my eye he didn't even explain. He just said he'd keep that one
to himself and moved on.
On the other hand, if you don't know anything about mentalism and
are curious about it, it's not terrible, but otherwise, stay away.
6 of 7 magicians found this helpful.
i have come to learn that most mentalism dvds are hit or miss. and this is a miss. the tricks are
unoriginal and not very practical or commercial. in my opinion the tricks work for him because of
his personality, maybe im just different, but most of these tricks just arent for me!
4 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
I felt that most of these effects were a bit weak and not really all that usable in the real world.
However I was mostly put off by Patrik's quirky personality, it just distracted me from actually
learning anything. Sorry.
4 of 5 magicians found this helpful.
Well, I watched 1 effect, called T.O.C. and didn't want to see anything more.
What a waste of
time and money.
Even laymen can see how this trick is done.
I thought: nice, something new
with a cube but I was very disappointed.
Teaching style wasn't fun either, because of the way he
presents himself as all the helpers in this trick.
Annoying because it seems he thinks he is the
funniest.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
These DVDs have SOME good material, but none of it is my style. Most of the stuff I really didn't
like, but I do appreciate the creative thinking and can say there are a few things that are good.
The Book test 4 dummies 1 and 2 are both good. I won't say they are the best book tests out there
but they are worth a try.
Blindfoil is also a creative, almost impromptu way to do a blindfold
routine.
These routines are not overly challenging so I know you can do them. If you are
looking for some new mentalism then maybe give this a look
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
Patrick Kuffs' Mind Stunts and Mind Stunts 2 are a collection of original mentalism routines
presented in Kuffs quirky style. Let me preface my review by saying I'm never been all that wild
about most mentalism routines. So if you are thirsty for new mentalism, this may be the ticket.
Degree of Difficulty
Easy. There are no tricky sleights to learn. 90% of the routines are
timing and acting. However easy these may be, I don't think this would be a good introduction to
mental magic.
Teaching
Kuffs plays both magician and spectator and uses editing to
portray both roles. I prefer seeing trick performed for a real audience to gauge the reaction to the
presentation. Combining a thick accent and goof-ball style, this teaching style was really hard for
me to watch. Perhaps his style works in front of a real audience but we don't get to see that, now
do we?
Quantity of Effects
There are a total of 7 effects and Kuffs blatantly tells you
that he is not going to show you the last trick, Nostradakuffs and to figure it out for yourself. So
6 tricks for your hard-earned clams.
Quality of Effects
These tricks don't do much for
me but I think that some of the material is usable. The Book Test 4 Dummies was my favorite. The
name is appropriate because someone who is not a dummy might be suspicious of the method. If you are
not familiar with book tests, it goes like this; some picks a random page from an seemingly normal
book. The mentalist then reads the mind of the spectator and predicts the word. In this trick the
spec selects the first word from a random page out of a truly random book and writes the word on a
business card. Then the magi does the same. Viola, the words match!
Production Quality
Kuffs using little vignettes in a variety of settings to frame each trick. At times there is
clever editing and the video quality is good. However the hand held camera work is all over the
place. Zoom in, zoom out, jerk the camera this way and that way. Kuffs was trying to be overly
clever and comedic with the presentation. It just wasn't my style of humor and I'm not a fan of
hand-held videography.
I think if your a fan of mentalism, you're going to find a way to
use some of this material - especially if you are mixing humor with your mentalism act. I have to be
critical of any DVD that shows you a trick and then doesn't provide the secret. Isn't that what
we're paying for? Mind Stunts 2 is more of the same so if you think you might like this DVD, I would
suggest getting both. Personally, this wasn't my cup of tea.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
I have to agree with other listings that it is hard to justify the cost of this set given the
included material. For many, the tricks here may inspire alternative handlings (eg Bank Light's
explanation is bordering on ridiculous and there are easier ways), but at other times, the ideas are
sorely lacking. Including a routine that is nothing more than "magicians choice" is a bit insulting.
The DVDs are entertaining, and they have prompted thought. Having said all that, I will be making
use of TOC, Book Test 2 and Blindfoil, so it wasn't a total loss. Just could do with being a little
cheaper.
2 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
Patrik seems like a very likeable person. I just did not find the DVDs to be very informative. I did
pick up a few things that I may try, but not very likely.
Also, be aware that one of the
inclusions qith the DVD is a sheet of stickers with each card in a deck. The sheet has 2 4c and no
5c. (Penguin sent me a replacement and it was the same.)
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
Today, when you order "Mind Stunts 1&2 by Patrik Kuffs", you'll instantly be emailed a Penguin Magic gift certificate. You can spend it on anything you like at Penguin, just like cash. Just complete your order as normal, and within seconds you'll get an email with your gift certificate.
FREE SHIPPING TO THE UNITED STATES. This product qualifies for PENGUIN FLAT-PACK™ (World-wide free shipping)
Even if you have no experience....stay away
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