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Double J Veteran user 331 Posts |
Just picked up these DVD's for a bargain. Curious if anyone else has them and what they think. I'm a rebel, gonna start with #2. Ha!
I'll let everyone know what I think as I go through them. If anyone is at all interested! |
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Joe Mauro Inner circle 1133 Posts |
Even with 2 performance only routines on volume 2, there are still 9 routines taught.
They were out of my range, but fun to watch. Extreme Possibilities Volume 2: Tantalizer Too, Justify Me, Thinking It Over, Thief Of Hearts, Matching The Cards, Wilson’s Aces, Far Too Many Cards, A New Wave, Motel History, Ricochet (Performance Only), and Spectrum (Performance Only).
~Joe
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Prof. Pabodie Veteran user 318 Posts |
I'm enjoying these a lot, going through them slowly. My favorite routine so far was 'Wilson's All Backs' from volume 4, which I was disappointed to find was Performance Only. I wrote to Paul about the availability of this routine, but have not received a reply yet. Does anyone know if this routine is slated for a future release?
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Double J Veteran user 331 Posts |
I have to say first that when I watch dvd's, I like to watch for entertainment and performance and this was very low on that scale. He is not a performer, or at least it didn't show. Seemed to have a lot of arrogance to him. I know these are set up spectators, but they seemed uneasy with a lot of the effects he performed. It almost seemed at times those woman spectators, which I might add, lend themselves very well to the video series, were making fun of him. Way too much dead time during the tricks themselves.
'Far too Many Cards' seems like it could be a fun trick to perform. 'A New Wave' is a coin routine. I didn't like the routine and handling. The sleights weren't very good at all, in fact, There were at least two big flashes from LH Finger palm that could've been seen from Russia's western front. I'm really disappointed so far. I'll write more later. |
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tntjr Elite user 483 Posts |
I like to be entertained too. I think quite a few decent tricks got lost (to me anyway) in this set because they are not performed in an entertainng fashion. I also thought his apparent arrogance didn't help either.
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The Burnaby Kid Inner circle St. John's, Canada 3158 Posts |
Sigh...
Challenge Aces is a good way to open a set requiring four aces, if you can get the audience to buy into the conditions. Con Cam Ring on Stick is a fooler. Tantalizer Too is very good, and if you make friends with Paul you might be able to get his thoughts on further versions of it. Thinking it Over fooled a buddy of mine who is well versed in cards. Matching the Cards is an all-time classic plot in card magic. Confabulous is a good routine for any mentalism performers who aren't afraid of a little sleight of hand. Left Turn on Cactus has stuff in it that I'd wager any thinking performer can extract and use elsewhere, if they don't like the core routine (which is still good). I personally LOVE Written Wrongs. And Paul Plays Poker is one of the best gambling demonstrations I've ever seen. Don't mistake tone for entertainment value. There's some great stuff on these DVDs.
JACK, the Jolly Almanac of Card Knavery, a free card magic resource for beginners.
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wsduncan Inner circle Seattle, WA 3619 Posts |
The ace assembly is brilliant and a fooler, and the ring on stick is a thing of beauty.
I also love the idea of Left Turn on Cactus. |
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tntjr Elite user 483 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-01-24 22:24, Andrew Musgrave wrote: I didn't say bad magic. I said the presentations didn't do it for me. I really like the ring on stick routine, but when your patter is something along the lines of "This is a very expensive magic wand. It's a stick." That's entertaining? He was going for a laugh, but the audience was obviously uncomfortable and trying to humor him. For someone who is a seasoned pro, I expected more. |
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The Burnaby Kid Inner circle St. John's, Canada 3158 Posts |
Let me get this straight... You bought a DVD where the magician performed and then explained good magic, and you're still not happy?
Humour, a lot of the time, is about wavelength and taste. I'd take his style over Michael Ammar's six days a week and twice on Sunday. That said, I'm pretty sure that if you decide to use any of the routines and substitute your own presentational strategies, that it won't keep anybody up at night.
JACK, the Jolly Almanac of Card Knavery, a free card magic resource for beginners.
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Double J Veteran user 331 Posts |
With bad presentations you will lose, what could be, great reactions from spectators. While looking thru dvd's I find it easy to overlook effects with subpar performances. The audience in this video looks very uncomfortable and disconnected. I have to think it mostly has to do with his arrogance along side the boring performances. Again, I was disappointed. Thought it should have been better.
Still haven't had a chance to go thru all the effects yet. Having trouble staying awake. |
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The Burnaby Kid Inner circle St. John's, Canada 3158 Posts |
Honestly, one of the big mistakes that we can make in researching new material is to assume that a lack of freak-outs amongst the L&L audience means it's a bad performance. R Paul Wilson isn't arrogant, he's deadpan, and deadpan absolutely KILLS in front of certain audiences. Does that mean you have to be deadpan as well? Of course not. But it's a bad idea to dismiss material for the wrong reasons.
JACK, the Jolly Almanac of Card Knavery, a free card magic resource for beginners.
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DStachowiak Inner circle Baltimore, MD 2158 Posts |
I first saw Paul lecture years ago, at Kenzo's in Baltimore. A friend of mine who had seen him lecture the year before at Al Cohen's in DC, told me he had found Paul's presentations dull, and complained that he almost went to sleep.
When I actually saw Paul's lecture, he fractured me. His sense of humor is indeed dry, and his Scots accent sounds dour, but he is one of the funniest guys I have ever seen. In the years since, I have seen Paul perform many times, and he has always delivered the goods. It isn't for everyone, and the standard L&L audience might not "get it", but Paul is a terrific entertainer in the real world. I heard the same complaints about Bob Sheets "Bob Does Hospitality" DVDs. Same comment, don't judge by the reactions of a jaded audience of magicians' wives... Don
Woke up.
Fell out of bed. Dragged a comb across m' head. |
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MField2000 Special user Hastings, East Sussex, England 590 Posts |
Paul Wilson is a good friend of mine, and his delivery is very dry, but hilariously funny. He's got a devilish sense of humor. Maybe that dry humor is a British thing, but I love it (I'm originally from New York, now live in England).
Paul is one of the best sleight of hand experts in the world. And now he's a star in the UK because of his popular TV show over here, "The Real Hustle." I've been walking with him when he's been stopped for his autograph. If his presentational style is not your cup of Red Bull, you'll still get a wealth of great magic on his DVDs. Matt Field |
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Peo Olsson Inner circle Stockholm, Sweden 3260 Posts |
I thought Paul Wilson was from Scotland???
Pictured to the left my hero and me during FISM 2006 in Stockholm.
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Lawrence O Inner circle French Riviera 6811 Posts |
I know that this is within the card section of the café but Paul has a ring on stick routine that is miles ahead of every ring on stick (and it's not if I had not rechecked hundreds of routines in print or in video): really tremendous.
Magic is the art of emotionally sharing live impossible situations
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tntjr Elite user 483 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-01-24 23:07, Andrew Musgrave wrote: I don't know how you come to the conclusions you do. I did not say I wasn't happy and I did not say it was bad magic. I just said his presentations were dull and not entertaining. I also found his attitude a bit condescending. You also somehow come to the conclusion that I would put people to sleep performing his routines? I'm not sure if you are saying that the routines are not entertaining or that I am not entertaining. If it's the latter, please tell what leads you to that conclusion. If it's the former, that contradicts your assertion that he is entertaining. FWIW, I like most of the stuff of his that I've read. I just don't care for the presentations on the L&L DVDs. |
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QwertyHero New user 27 Posts |
Maybe it's his British humour, the UK is full of comedy programmes that would never be shown in the US. One of our favourites, The Office, had to be completely re-written for the US audience. I can't even compare the two shows now, they may has well renamed it.
I can certainly see why the OP may not like him, he's no Bill Malone, but I prefer laid back to constantly telling poor gags like other performers. Aldo Colombini's poor jokes sometimes go on for minutes, it means you just have to sit through them all again on a re-watch too. |
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Double J Veteran user 331 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-01-25 03:18, Andrew Musgrave wrote: I personally don't like his presentations. What I said was. "I find it easy to overlook effects with subpar performances". I was just making an observation of the L&L spectators. We all know They are put there to enhance the atmosphere and make it more appealing to us all. Enthusiasm, loud responses is what gets our attention. I get Deadpan, if fact, I love Steven Wright. He is an extremely funny comedian. What I see on this first dvd doesn't come close to tweaking my funny bone. |
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tntjr Elite user 483 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-01-25 07:53, QwertyHero wrote: I actually lived in England for a year and do appreciate British humor (or humour ). I enjoy Scottish humor as well. Billy Connolly is hilarious. I find Craig Ferguson funny too. I realize they are not low key at all though. For low key, I find David Forrest entertaining. Though I appreciate R. Paul Wilson's thinking, I did not enjoy his performances on those DVDs. That's all. |
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Lawrence O Inner circle French Riviera 6811 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-01-25 07:53, Double J wrote: You are wrong, IMHO, what these spectators are there for is to remind us that we should do tricks to get this type of reactions from normal people and not in a bubble to please ourselves... not even in noticing over several DVDs that these people are acting with specific roles and different types of reactions. They are not there as a proof that the trick is good (this the reputation of the performer does well), they are there to set goals... just like the performers themselves in the excellent L&L collections. Naturally the ones who don't get the message resent it. Just remember the Chinese proverb "I pointed at the moon and the fools looked at my finger" What about asking oneself if bashing at the L&L spectator might be a rationalization for dismay resulting from not being acting well enough to get the same type of reactions. What about cleaning our own doorstep before looking at the neighbors' one (not yours David, we're not talking coins here)
Magic is the art of emotionally sharing live impossible situations
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