Anyone has a review of this DVD by Jay Sankey??

Jay Sankey is the guest of honor at the Café this week, so perhaps this set of videos deserves some attention. I posted about them in this thread here, but figured I'd expand on them some more:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......um=248&0

Jay Sankey's two Amazing Magic & Mentalism Anyone Can Do DVDs are a great introduction for beginners at magic, because they include a wide variety of effects from card magic, mentalism, and impromptu, which are easy to learn and yet still have a good astonishment factor. Note that this series of videos was originally a set of three, but now the entire series has been made available on two DVDs, so you get excellent value. There are almost 40 effects altogether "with playing cards, coins, rubber bands, dice, business cards, pencils, envelopes, drinking straws, bottles, spoons, napkins, string, knives, coffee grounds and more" (sankeymagic.com). Altogether there's nearly 3 hours of material, and although there are effects that require some sleight of hand and practice (example: crazy man's handcuffs), most use every day objects and are self-working or simple to master. In addition to the effects, Jay also includes some valuable advice about showmanship and important principles to keep in mind when performing.

The video cover includes this recommendation from Genii Magazine's Matthew Field "The best introduction to magic ever produced on film." High praise indeed! I'm sure there are other good introductions to magic that are also available (Michael Ammar's Exciting World of Magic comes to mind), but the large range and simplicity of effects on Jay Sankey's set make it an attractive place to start for beginners. People who are experienced in magic will probably find it too simple and the effects too familiar, but for people looking for a place to begin, or even to get into a new area of magic (eg cards, mentalism, or impromptu) you can't go wrong with this set. The DVDs are currently priced at a bargain basement price of $11-15 each (check penguinmagic.com and sankeymagic.com), so they are excellent value.

A complete list of the effects included:

VOLUME 1
Believe it or Not
Blown Away
Penny Ante
Magic Marker
Plastic Surgery
Sleight-of-Elbow
The Next Card
Acrobatic Aces
Fast Hands
Out of Hand
The One Handed Cut
Secret Passages
Vanishing a Coin
Heartbeat
The Yogi's Secret
Through and Through
Easy Money
Telekinesis
Indestructibill
Impossible Journey

VOLUME 2
Penetrating
Around the World
Behind Your Back
Heavy Metal
Stop Sign
M.A.G.I.C.
Hypnotized Handkerchief
Psychic's Choice
Rising Card
Bender
Two in the Hand
Shout
10,000 Words
Tap Vanish
Seeing Things
Reunion
Long Distance
Magic Dust
Spirit Writing