Title: Welcome To The Firm (Colin Miller and Jamie Badman)
Medium: DVD
Arena: Close Up
Available: Any shop, distributed by Murphys Magic Supplies

Welcome To The Firm is a collection of routines, 6 card, one mental using billets, and one a way to smoothly go from one of the routines to another. The way they are presented is, as one often finds with Big Blind Media, a bit odd. In this case the idea is Colin and Jamie are thugs who have captured a fellow who has been tied to a chair, his hands taped together, his mouth gagged, and a burlap bag put over his head, and they make him participate in magic tricks with the promise of releasing him if he can get one over on the magicians. It is a funny way to do the DVD, adds character, and goes along with some of the strange spectators they have used in the past. The quality of the DVD is excellent, HD cameras were used and the sound is solid throughout. The structure was standard, you first have the magician, Colin and Jamie trade off, performing for the victim and then they explain the routine with the guidance of Owen Packard, I believe that is his name, who is a pretty good host. The performances are entertaining but you’ll want to alter them to fit your character since the presentations are written for the character of thugs.

The magic is solid throughout. Some of my favorites and comments about them are:

Underground Poker: When you watch this three phase poker routine you’ll likely think, as I did, that the set up would be a problem. Most poker routines you have to set up the cards and actually keep a list to remember how to do it. In this case the set up is so simple that you really can remember it right away because it is a logical sequence that you will just know. That may sound odd, let me put it this way, the set up is in an order you’ll remember like you remember counting. The first phase shows your control of the cards, the second is a magicians mistake turned to victory phase, the third is great because the spectator gets to control things and the magician ends up with the required royal flush. This is easy to do and the only problem would be if you are a table worker you need space to do it so this may end up with the formal sit down magician or working a party where you have a table set up. Very good routine.

Misdirection Monte: It isn’t often that I am completely fooled by a routine, I mean completely fooled. I’m not going to describe this routine because when you see it for the first time I want you to fully enjoy the ending. I have one complaint here. There are two moves used that are beautifully done and while Jamie explains them I think there isn’t enough detail given. The moves are so slick you really cannot see what is going on in the explanation and maybe they should have given a bit more thought to how to show it to those not at all familiar with the moves. Jamie does it so well he likely doesn’t recognize that it is not an easy sleight to perform. I have to work on it because this is a great little routine and that move is a killer. I do admit maybe I’m just a failure at his sleight and everyone can get it down in seconds, I am still having problems. You will love this routine.

Katch The Kopper: A Triumph routine that looks really cool with a slick set up. This is pretty unique compared to lots of other triumph routines in one particular move. Again I think more focus should have been placed on the special sleight used but it is only because it is so deceiving that it can be a problem to pick up on at first.

The rest of the material is also strong, which is the good thing about guys not coming out with DVDs every month, they put 20 years of work on one DVD where many are putting two months worth of thoughts out. Colin and Jamie put out a top notch collection of magic with a few unique moves that will make you a magician fooler as well as entertaining spectators. The quality is top flight, which we have come to expect from Big Blind and some others. This DVD is well worth checking out if you do close up.

Okay, I cannot do the Curry Break or Underground Change, which are needed for the coolest routine on the DVD. Does anyone do it and do you think it may be because my fingers are short and stubby? I mean I can't even come close.

Hmmm... I never thought about finger length being a factor - but the critical features of your hand are that you should be able to, when holding the deck in your left (assuming you're right handed) hand and extend your pinky, ring and middle fingers above the level of the top card of the deck on the long right hand edge. Also your forefinger should be clearly above the far short edge, near the far right corner.

If you can do that then it's not your fingers at fault.

If you can take a video of you attempting the move(s), PM me and I'll take a look - I might be able to see what you're doing wrong.

Cheers,

Jamie.

P.S. Glad you enjoyed the DVD...

I'll work on it some more. When I try to do the move the deck falls out of my hand. You do it so freakin' smoothly that I couldn't detect it during performance and it really doesn't happen that I get fried that bad. That is a heck of a collection of magic.

Jamie is the only other person I know that can do the move as Armando Lucero! Misdirection monte is one of my all time favourite card effects!

Thanks for the comments, guys.

Does Armando Lucero do The Underground Change? I didn't know that! His own change is pretty *** awesome too ;-)

I'll have to upload another routine I have - "Under 21" - to YouTube or someplace - I think you guys would enjoy it... I'll try to sort that out.

Jamie.

Wow... just did it... isn't YouTube easy? A little tip, guys - that site's going to be BIG - get in there early - you heard it here first ;-)

So anyway... I caught up with this century and uploaded the vid... take a look...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8z9Y7z1plc

Cheers,

Jamie.

Oh come on....now you are just making me feel worse.

Jamie, you told me ten years ago you had some stuff coming out and I wondered what it was and now I know why it took so long, you had to gain real magical powers!

Exellent routine, I'm fryed. I have absolutely no idea how you did that. Is that the Underground Change people are talking about?

It's the Underground Change, yes. The difference is, that routine does the Underground Change on a 'packet' of two cards... try it out and you'll probably be able to backtrack that routine...

Santa - I'm really intrigued... who ARE you! Did we meet at TSD? Cheetahs?!!!

Cheers,

Jamie.

I met you first through TSD...don't worry about it though, I'm not anybody.