Magic Tricks

This lecture is a collage of workable, clever material. Although the material is great, I had to think about ways that I could adapt each routine to make it make more sense for my style. And I came up with ways easily. I would have never had the ability to adapt these routines if it weren't for watching the lecture itself. And because there are so many good ideas, I have to give this 5 stars. But I will be honest for my opinions on each of the routines.

Critter (Star Sign Divination): This is a really clever Star Sign Divination that I'll need to mess around with. She teaches what she calls the Pans Principle, and I think this is a very unique and smart principle that can be adapted to many things. I'll probably get more mileage out of that than the Star Sign Divination, but it's always good learning new methods. Clever Divination, and I'm sure I can adapt some aspects to make it work better for me.

The Year Deck: This is one of her best effects on this lecture. With a small amount of thought, I pieced together a routine that works better for me with this idea. The way she performs it is good, too, though! I feel like this is so flexible you can put your own spin on it as well!

The Icy Peek: This is a very interesting peek that I think I will use, because it looks quite natural. Instead of using my peek wallet, I'd be more inclined to use this for a drawing duplication. Interesting thinking!

The Cheeky Glimpse: I honestly don't have a use for this. But I still enjoyed watching it and hearing her thoughts about it. I'd say it's still good, and you may use it.

Improved Impromptu Invisible Deck: Just like the Cheeky Glimpse, I don't really have a use for this. But that's because I think that the best version of the Invisible Deck is the gimmicked version, and I rarely perform it, anyway. Don't get me wrong, the ID is an incredible effect, and this version is also great! However I learned a new principle from Emma while watching her tutorial on it, and that made it worth watching!

Timed Out: This is interesting thinking! I need to go back and rewatch it to be honest, because I didn't fully watch it. I perform a similar effect, however. I think you'll find this interesting, or at the very least, find a way to adapt this to a completely different effect!

Typhon: Solid Center Tear! I already use a different Center Tear, but it's always fun learning about new ones. If you don't know any Center Tear, learn Emma's! It's good!

Red/Left: This is possibly the most unusual and interesting effects she has shared. I really like the psychology on this, and it seems to have limitless possibilities. I also love the subtleties behind this. This one is intriguing to me for some reason, and I can't quite put my finger on it. Perhaps because it's different from anything else I know. It is also kind of fun. I don't know how to describe this one. I feel like more can be done with this, but I'm not sure what yet. So, this is a fantastic idea that you should NOT dismiss, because I think you'll end up finding very interesting.

Let's Get Retro: Emma takes a very old, awesome mentalism prop and shows us how it should be done. This prop in particular I currently do not have, because I just couldn't think of a use for it, even though there are an endless number of uses for it. Emma looked at this tool and thought "Why just give 1 reveal when I can reveal 3 things?" And thus, Let's Get Retro was born. A lot of heart is in this one. I can see myself performing this one exactly how she describes in the lecture!

Bonus - Systematic: You'll also get a bonus idea at the end. But don't be fooled. Ironically, this is my favorite thing from the ENTIRE lecture. I took her idea and created a routine from it that I love. You should be able to do the same, and that is the entire reason why she shared it. She knew it wasn't finished, but now it's up to you to complete the dots. You'll be able to do so if you think about it. Honestly, I mostly abhor these kinds of routines in general... Except this one. Additionally, I even bought an extra prop just to have ANOTHER routine on top of this! So don't be quick to exit the video on this bonus idea. This has an absurd amount of potential.

Overall, this is a quality lecture. While it isn't material from one of the top 10 best mentalists in the world, it doesn't matter. Because it's clear that Emma not only takes mentalism very seriously, but she is also very it! If you just look at everything at face value in this lecture, you're robbing yourself. THINK about what you want to do with these routines. Perhaps a couple of these routines won't be for you at all. That's fine! A couple things just weren't for me. But isn't that the beauty of it all? You'll find gold that I couldn't, and things that I find gold you might not think is. Emma is also very kind, and I bought this directly for her before it was released on Penguin. It was worth my time and money, and I think it'll probably be worth yours, too.