Because I was a teacher by profession for many years, I tend to look at instructional magic videos
with a teacher's eye: how is the lesson constructed? Are the steps clear? Are difficult parts
identified, and the instruction appropriate to enable a viewer to figure out the moves? I can't say
this dvd checks all the boxes.
Many reviews of Okito box routines in a variety of venues
say that the Colombini version of the Ken Brooke routine is "the best". That is a value judgment,
but it is a good one-coin routine with several interesting phases that flow into each other. And it
is not complicated. I will give the routine itself five stars, and it will go into my coin
repertoire.
The dvd is not up to the quality of the routine. It is less than ten minutes
long, is shot straight on without change of camera position or closeup, and Colombini does not walk
the viewer through the vital "master move" slowly. The instruction level is not for a rank beginner
in coin magic. Also, Colombini's hands are huge, and they almost get in the way of his demonstration
of the sleight.
If you are new to the Okito box, you will need to get used to the box
itself by spending some time handling it. If you are a more experienced coin/box handler, you can
find more video demonstrations of the routine online. After watching a Spanish magician do an
excellent silent show of the exact Ken Brooke routine half a dozen times, I had figured out ninety
percent of it. Had someone shown me the details of the "master move" for this routine, I would not
have purchased the dvd.
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