Magic Tricks

Let me start by saying that this a gem for sure, but there are a couple "issues" I want to address. There are 13 effects for $49.95. That's a bit pricey. Of course, there's always the argument that if you get one good effect, it's worth the price, but where do you draw the line. If you got one good effect on a DVD that cost $100,000 dollars, is it worth it?

Obviously that's an extreme example, but we need to consider the current market. Even L&L would not charge $49.95 for this DVD. On a couple of the effects, Glossy Finish for example, while the effect is good, it appears that they "cheated" a little in the performance section. In the explanation, he talked about the get ready for the effect, and it seemed a little bit contrived, and watching the way he performed the effect, I would be hard pressed to believe that he was actually performing it the way he claimed.

Having said all of that, I still believe that the DVD is worth getting. Florida Keys is a brilliantly constructed routine where the key penetrates on and off of the key ring, no gaffs or gimmicks. The explanation of this was a bit rushed, and he left out a few points of the presentation, so a minor disappointment there. 3/4 coins across was a great routine as well. However, it pretty much is Jay Sankey's Mr. Clean Coins Across. Other than the way Wilson stood and held his body as he performed I really didn't see a difference between his routine and Sankey's.

Questionable Trick and the 99 cent trick, were by far my favorite. I also really liked Toll Free. These are three very good coin tricks that are very impromptu and very much within the range of just about any level of experience and most of all they have excellent presentational hooks.

If you didn't already know, it's clear by this DVD that Wilson is a real worker. These are real routines that he does on a regular basis, and everything on the DVD is stuff you can do without having to carry around a bunch of "props."

The effects are performed out "on the streets." The explanations are then filmed in the studio using a beautiful model as an assistant. He then performs the tricks again for her followed by the explanations. Then after the explanation, there's another clip of him performing the effect in the streets again.

Another thing I really liked about the project is that you see a few times when he gets caught trying to steal watches, etc, and you see how he handles it and how he recovers. Also, you really get to see him in his element. It's very entertaining.

There is a section in the performance where he is just doing a bunch of seemingly random stealing and pick pocketing, etc. There is so much going on that when they do the explanation, some stuff is left out. Lots of pros and cons to this project. Overall, I say get it. It's got a lot of great material, and the "missing" stuff and production issues are minor compared to the many Gems you'll find.