I've performed comedy and magic for 23 years. My wife has seen it all. She knows about DL's and
ITR's because of her NHWSAHAPHSDATT (nerdy husband who sits at home and practices his second deal
all the time).
Anyhoo, I watched the Torched and Restored tutorial, ran through it a couple
times, and set off to show my jaded little wife. Long story short, it floored her. I'm talking, jaw
dropped open, mumbling under her breath, fooled her. Believe me, that doesn't happen very often.
Like I said, she knows to much. She immediately jumped over the kitchen table, knocking me to the
floor, totally making out with me. I was like, "What's this all about?". She was all like, "Because
of that trick! It was the sexiest thing I've ever seen!" I was like, "Cool! Let's do this thing!"
Okay, not really. Yes, the trick fooled her badly, because it's that good, but I believe her
exact words were, "Wow! I have no idea how you did that! That was great! Now, you need to get those
dishes done." I went ahead and did the dishes, but believe me, that was the happiest I've ever been
while doing dishes. I just fooled my toughest (and hottest) critic. You will, too. Thanks Brent!
Well done.
27 of 30 magicians found this helpful.
If you work at all in demanding circumstances, you're gonna appreciate what a godsend this is. This
is the best TNR extant- and I say that for many reasons: Impact, practicality, conviction, method
(ingenious), angles, the entire gamut.
Thanks for sharing this Brent- it's marvelous!
Jack
17 of 18 magicians found this helpful.
There are many torn and restored card effects on the market, but I'll compare this to two that had
the most influence on me, The Reformation and The Reparation. Reformation by Guy Hollingworth
(Drawing Room Deceptions) is the most difficult. It is very clean looking, but it is not something
I'd be comfortable doing in public because of how difficult it is. It is the most "impossible"
looking routine, but the benefits of this routine over the others are likely to go over a layman's
head. A magician will appreciate this more. The Reparation by John Lovick makes the Guy
Hollingsworth routine much easier, but lacks the convincing degree of Guy Hollingsworth's routine.
Lovick's routine is superior to Hollingworth's because a better balance between between ease and
effect is achieved. Hollingworth's routine is very difficult to master and while Lovick's can
achieve the same with less trouble while not sacrificing too much in terms of effect.
With
that being said, I am not a big fan of torn and restored effects; I don't perform them and don't
practice them regularly like I do other things. I'm sure I'm not alone in learning something for the
sake of learning it; adding it to my repertoire of regularly performed is dependent on how much I
like it after I learn it and it just didn't feel right. I'll look at it every once in a while, but
not much more.
Torched and Restored by Brent Braun made me reconsider how I treat torn
and restored effects. I've learned it and found it to be easier than Lovick's routine without
sacrificing the effect. Braun's routine requires some setup, which I am not a fan of because I like
working with a clean deck, but it removes the problems associated with the previous two routines. I
can't really say exactly what the issues are without revealing the methods, but if you're familiar
with the standard method, you'll notice something very special about Braun's routine. This results
in a routine that is easier than Lovick's and looks as good as Hollingworth's.
I don't
recommend it. I'm selfish and don't want other magicians doing this because I want it for myself!
It's such a good routine that I'm adding it to my repertoire. It's clean, visual, and easy to do.
Being easy is not (and should not) be a deciding factor in what one chooses to do for a performance,
but what best achieves the desired result. The best happens to also be the easiest.
7 of 7 magicians found this helpful.
Outstanding! Not only is Brent's handling super clean, but the moves are logical! This is a
practical and commercial effect. The burning of the card adds a dramatic effect which people are
naturally drawn to. I am a real world working magician and very picky about the material that I
choose to include in my repertoire; this one is definitely going to be part of my act! Finally, the
explanation on the download is clear and concise. Way to go Brent!
5 of 5 magicians found this helpful.
I dont often write reviews but this is great. Very easy to do but will take practice to get the
handling natural. Easy and cheap to build the gimmick could easily be done on the fly. You could
have a whole deck of these ready to go or just have one laying in your normal deck for that moment
of visual magic. Order now you wont be dissapointed. The only criticism I have is that you cant have
people standing behind you, but thats the case for all TNR methods. The price is also ridiculously
good.
5 of 6 magicians found this helpful.
Every week for 10 years, "Torched and Restored" was part of my ongoing one-man show. And while other
effects were cycled in and out of rotation, this one was a constant, knocking out audiences reliably
from Opening Night straight through to Closing. It looks like real magic: the card is cleanly and
deliberately torn into quarters and even burned a little with a lighter; there's no way it will ever
be the same. Yet the next moment, it's flashily restored in an instant (imagine the Gene Anderson
Newspaper Tear in a convenient card-size presentation). I love it!
4 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
When evaluating a new effect, I'm not looking to see if it's good or bad. But rather, I'm asking one
simple question, "Can I use this or not?"
Rest assured, "Torched and Restored" is a user,
not a loser. It's something I can use for walk-around without worrying about restricted angles, and
fire always adds an extra level of coolness.
Two random notes--1) At most, you'll need to
add about $3.00 to the purchase price to buy a certain something from any office supply store. (I
say "at most" because a lot of magicians will already have this on hand.)
And 2, to answer
the question that I had when purhasing this--No, it does not require a TT. (Not that there is
anything wrong with a TT, but I'd feel ripped off to have purhased this and be told simply, "Tear
the card, and use the TT for a switch and ditch.")
4 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
I actually use this as a climax to my ambitious card routine. It is a real worker. It requires a bit
of practice (what doesn't). I also recommend buying a few decks of cards...torched and all that...
The only reason I wouldn't recommend it highly is because I'd like to keep the secret for
myself!
3 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
This trick is very simple to do and it amazes a lot of people. In my opinion, I recommend buying
USED cards from casinos, they sell them online, because you will need a lot of them. This trick is
going to be in your repertoire for a very long time.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
To put it in one word #PERFECT. I own so many torn and restored card magic over the years, Torched
and Restored is the perfect working tool.
Thx. Brent for your version. This is a must own, and I
rarely give Five Stars.
Picasso!
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.