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truthteller Inner circle 2584 Posts |
I enjoyed his early work. Found it visually interesting. Sadly he would juxtapose these gwar style illusions with typical closeup tricks tricks earning the ridicule of most if the wwe ushers who worked that venue. His 'persona' (which was typical magic boy but with makeup) in those moments contradicted the hard core image he was trying to portray in his illusions.
The Believe show is just awful through and through. Ironically the most magical parts of that show are also the 'camera tricks.' Interestingly, Criss had proclaimed his show was performing to over than full capacity each night when I saw it. My entire row was empty except for my group (3 others) and the only people offering the standing ovation were the girls paid to be there and hand him the banner as 'audience members.' The crowd left the show in near silence. He even cursed at the audience because we apparently weren't meeting the level of enthusiasm he was expecting. I just think a magician should be able to perform some magic - just a little. Is that too much to ask? |
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Gilgamesh_The_Librarian Elite user 408 Posts |
Like I said before I haven't any issues with the Magic Kit, I suppose some MindFreaks (gag) might be disappointed to find it doesn't contain an inflatable stooge and a copy of Adobes latest video editing software.
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edh Inner circle 4698 Posts |
Gigamesh, that was to funny!
Magic is a vanishing art.
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sirbrad Inner circle PA 2096 Posts |
Where is the camera and editing software? I am not even going to touch this one. Looks like a decent starter kit, too bad it has Criss Angel is on it. What a dork, look at his ridiculous poses. The guy truly needs psychological help.
The great trouble with magicians is the fact that they believe when they have bought a certain trick or piece of apparatus, and know the method or procedure, that they are full-fledged mystifiers. -- Harry Houdini
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NexusMagicShop Elite user Sunny California 434 Posts |
I will agree it is at a decent price point. But quite ridicules to claim that it is at a $450.00 dollar value.
Jason of BackroomMagic
www.BackroomMagic.com/| Mobile friendly magic forums and blogs www.twitter.com/Nexusmagicstore |
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doktorp Regular user 140 Posts |
A good book is worth a lot more...!
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ted french Inner circle Columbus Ohio 1946 Posts |
Not to a beginner. They have no idea the real stuff is in the old books, so they have to wade through stuff like this. We all did it... well most of us.
P3
practice practice perform. |
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Wizard of Oz Inner circle Most people wish I didn't have 5150 Posts |
Man, I'm not even going to chime in on this thread. But let me just say that Mark Reed has one of the coolest avatars on The Café. Weird. Strange. Bizarre. I love everything about it, including his expression. Priceless.
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
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mmreed Inner circle Harrisburg, PA 1432 Posts |
Just got the kit... have not even opened it yet...
I will say the box is quite nice... sturdy, and nicely printed. It even has gold foil printing. The artwork is well done. The box is visually appealing to a younger person. I will be opening it tomorrow and breaking into the review.
Mark Reed
Wedding and Event Entertainment |
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Steve Travis New user 96 Posts |
Been reading all the post and I personally can't wait until tomorrow when mmreed reviews it. I have a gut but I will wait patiently as we all have been doing to come to my final conclusion.
I travel for a living and I made my way into Mr. Magic today in Little Rock Arkansas and happen to see the Criss Angel Kit along with what I consider a wide selection of magic kits to choose from. In my travels I have been in MANY magic shops throughout the USA and I must say NOBODY has a bigger selection of kits period. Could'nt help but notice the $450.00 value tag placed on it Angel's though. Displayed next to the other kits I find it hard to believe it was better than several this shop had displayed next to his. I'm from Georgia but if you ever get a chance to visit Little Rock you must visit Mr. Magic. I think he has to have the most inventory I think I have ever seen. The owner is Jim Henson.I was in his store 4 years ago and he treated me like I was a local and then today I walk in his shop and not only did he REMEMBER me he stayed 40 minutes after closing time to assist me and share magic stories. INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!! Patiently waiting on Criss Angels Review Steve |
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mr. wolf New user 49 Posts |
Jim Henson from Mr. Magic is THEE nicest person I have ever ran into in the magic business!!! BAR NONE!
If you ever get a chance to deal with him, do it! He is the best. and what a shop!!!!!! |
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truthteller Inner circle 2584 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-02-23 21:12, mmreed wrote: I have learned a lot about magic kit production over the past few months. The box and it's weight/heft is designed to appeal to resellers, not the end user. It has been an eye opening experience. Ultimately kit makers (and I am referring to companies that specialize in making kits) have two buyers to appeal to - the reseller and the end user. HOWEVER, there is no contest as to whom they value the most - the reseller. That's why you see silly things like '$450 value' and 'over 250 tricks' when it's really 20 tricks and two books, one consisting of 101 tricks and the other having 30 tricks with the included Svengali deck. It's an odd business, but it's been an interesting ride. |
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Bill Thompson Elite user Mississippi 422 Posts |
As I eagerly await Mark's review here is some discussion on food for thought about the ideal magic kit (hurry up Mark!)
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......rum=27&6 The ideal kit of course has all the good stuff in it but, Lawrence O. brings up an interesting point. All the good stuff really shouldn't be in a beginner kit, especially one marketed for children. And it reminds me of a point that I have always believed... Buying garbage, slum, and getting ripped off is part of the process of becoming a magician. If one skips this essential part of the learning process one never learns that the true secrets are in books. Until this is learned the beginner is unteachable. BTW, truthteller, that is a very interesting tid bit of information.
"To let understanding stop at what cannot be understood is a high attainment.
Those who cannot do it will be destroyed on the lathe of heaven." - Chuang Tse |
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Steve Travis New user 96 Posts |
I don't know if buying garbage, slum, and getting ripped off is a necessary process to becoming a magician or not but I think I understand what you are trying to say. I 100% agree with you about the importance of reading books but hate the idea I must get screwed by my fellow magicians to graduate to the title "MAGICIAN". LOL
Just my thoughts Steve |
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Bill Thompson Elite user Mississippi 422 Posts |
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......rum=27&6
Read Lawrence O's post. and really think about it. He says it so much better than I ever could. The beginner isn't really getting screwed so much as he being taken through learning process that is essential to his education.
"To let understanding stop at what cannot be understood is a high attainment.
Those who cannot do it will be destroyed on the lathe of heaven." - Chuang Tse |
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mmreed Inner circle Harrisburg, PA 1432 Posts |
The box
The box is well made with professional printing and designed artwork. It even have reflective gold foil lettering. The box makes a few claims – that it is over a $450 value and that it won the award of Best Magic Kit from the IMS Opening the box Upon opening the box, you are greeted with a nicely arranged collection of props. The box has a plastic faux velvet insert to hold everything. It is all fitted snugly so nothing bounces around. The insert is durable for future storage. Everything is either black or chrome with the exception of the various balls, ropes and silks. The Props I have mixed feelings about the props. Everything is plastic. Some of the props are decent quality plastic, others are normal cheaper plastic. I would have liked to have seen a set of aluminum cups in a set this price. That would have been a real selling point. Some of the things I really like about the kit: 1. The penetration glass is well made. Decent quality. 2. The sponge balls and sponge square are material on par with Goshman 3. The silks have a decent hem and are not frayed 4. One of the cups is chopped. Nice addition. 5. The balls are decent crocheted balls. 6. The book is very detailed Some of the things I dislike: 1. The coin glasses had plastic shavings that were not cut out in the groove to hold the coin. It would not work until I took tweezers and dug them out. 2. The rope for the “Christopher’s Nightmare” have cheap tape on the ends rather than some type of better crimping. The ropes will lose them and fray quickly. 3. The spiked coin prop is very rough to use – it has notched grooves where the lid fits on and the grooves are not all similar, so it fits very tight and is a bit of a struggle to get the top back on. 4. They dedicated a chunk of space to a credit card type card for a one month Loyalist Membership which supposedly gets you 10% off in his store, and access to a special part of his site. After that month, you pay a monthly fee. I think trying to get kids to subscribe to this monthly plan is poor taste – might be smart business – but poor taste in delivering what is a “best magic kit” because when I looked at what the loyalist community was, it looked like an unmoderated forum of teenagers. I would not allow my child to surf around this area. All of the props are “kid magic set quality”. This is nothing you would give to an older teenager or adult looking for some beginner magic. It is all plastic props that are there for the kids to learn with then move on to better quality props. The props are ok for kids showing other kids, but there is nothing in this set you would find used outside that context. Which is fine for the purpose of this kit. Figure each prop is a $5 retail prop (average) on its own and you get a rough value of $65-$70. This is not including the book or DVDs. Figure the value of the book around $15 and the three DVDs around $30 for the set, and you have a real value of the kit at $115 give or take twenty bucks. I do not see where the $450 value is – even if you rate the props at double what I did, it still falls very short of $450. I think the kit would be better off if it omitted that claim and didn’t try to pass itself off as something that outrageous in value. So far nothing with the props or the book have expressed any crediting, linage, or history. The Professors Nightmare is called Christophers Nightmare with no mention of any credits. The book also strongly implies that Criss invented and created all of these effects. I find that very distasteful and the makers could have really scored a homerun if they had just included a small paragraph after each effect citing the real name and/or history. Kids will be calling these effects the wrong names and not getting the connection to the real effects Criss claims are his own. One other minor issue I have with the book is that it teaches cigarette effects. Not quite something for a kids magic kit in my opinion. The book does give solid instruction with clear drawings. The book was somewhat odd though in that it switched typefaces or fonts at times and looked as though pages were inserted after the fact before it was bound. That gave an odd impression when flipping through the book. So in regards to the book – it does teach effects in depth. It does not refer to effects in the proper name and implies Criss invented them. The drawings are clear and accurate. Now for the actual DVDs I liked how the introduction by Criss stressed how you need to practice a lot – and to never reveal the secrets. Nice touch. The DVDs are done visually with no spoken word teaching by Eddy – a Chinese guy Criss introduces as his friend. All of this is done to a soundtrack of high energy music. Some of the prop explanations may not come across clearly without spoken word – such as the number cards where you show them and they say which ones have the number on it and you can guess the number. The DVDs are shot well – Eddy has clean moves, and his hand gestures are well done. He wears black, and they do the demos on a dark gray table – so you clearly see the hands and props. The Practice Tips feature Criss and Johnny Thompson. They stress practicing A LOT. They offer advice that is good regarding practice – using mirrors to see yourself, and also filming yourself practicing. They stress the magicians oath of not disclosing the secrets. The second DVD has Criss and Johnny Thompson teaching effects. It is shot in a cabaret type setting with an audience of average people – no glamourous women or Goths. I liked that aspect. Criss with Johnny working together is a nice approach. I liked this video. It lacks a lot of the Criss Angel egoism and arrogance. It is very well done. The third DVD is Criss teaching the invisible thread work and a few other effects in the same manner as the second DVD. Again, nicely done. However – NONE of the DVDs provided any crediting, history or lineage of the effects. This was a real disappointed especially with Johnny Thompson adding commentary. Everything was again put forth as if Criss was the innovator of it all, or it was left with no mention where it came from – just that it was an effect. The DVDs are something I would expect to pay $10-15 each, giving them a value of $30 to $45 retail. What do I think of the kit overall? My biggest gripe is the lack of crediting. It gives kids the false impression Criss created all of this and it has them using incorrect vocabulary and terms of effects. Lineage is important in magic – especially when you want to learn more about an effect. If kids want to learn more, they will not know what to look for. I would have also liked to have seen aluminum cups. Magic Makers makes a very low cost cup set with a DVD for dirt cheap - so aluminum cups can be sourced at very low prices. I think the kit makes false claims of $450 value, and bogus awards. I do think the kit has decent props – nothing extraordinary – but decent. The DVDs are well done. I admit that these are a good value in learning how to do magic – they just lack the ethics of crediting. The kit has a retail price of $70. Is it worth it? Yes – however when put up against the Fanstasma Magic kits, I think this kit would fall a little short. Legends of Magic: http://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=44864 Extreme Magic Kit: http://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=41854 Both of these kits offer so much more in terms of quality magic, and they too include DVDs. Both have proper crediting and give a huge value for a magic kit. They are both priced in the same range. The only thing that the Criss Angel kit offers over these two kits is his persona and branding – the kit, while decent, falls short of being on par with the Fantasma kits above. Other than it “being Criss Angel”, there is nothing that sets this kit out as being extraordinary. Everything is decent quality, but ordinary. Is the Criss Angel kit a viable kit if these two are not available? Yes, but only if you cannot get one of the Fantasmas. As much as I dislike Angel, this kit is a decent quality kit. It is not junk. And it has a value over the retail price (just not $450 worth) What this kit will do is reach mass markets where the Fantasma kits will not. Imagine if Criss would have endorsed the Fantasma kits! Grin…..
Mark Reed
Wedding and Event Entertainment |
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Bill Thompson Elite user Mississippi 422 Posts |
As I figured... The same old stuff, which is not the problem. The problem is Criss passing it all off as stuff he invented. Using improper terminology and renaming tricks retards the growth of the beginner. Its the same problem I had with elusionist.
I feel that taking effect calling them by the improper name, calling moves by the improper terminology. Taking one trick from a $20 classic book (Tarbell 1) renaming it and ripping off kids by charging $25 for it, isn't right either (elusionist). Posted: Feb 25, 2010 12:11am Plastic chrome cups and balls - $10.00 Sponge ball to square - $3.00 4 sponge balls - $4.50 penetration frame - $5.00 coin cups - $3.50 spiked coin - $3.50 Ball vase - $4.50 Professor's Nightmare - $1.35 Invisible Thread - $2.36 Thumb tip - $1.50 2 12" silks $4.50 Stripper deck $7.50 Svengali deck $7.50 regular deck - $2.50 Teaching DVD - $10.00 Master Mindfreaks V1 - $45.00 Master Mindfreaks V2 - $65.00 Membership to da loyalz club - $36 Instruction Booklet - $5.00 -------------------------------------- Total - $222.21 Not over $450.00 by a long shot. add extra $20 to be generous... I might have missed a couple of three items from the picture and review... Total $242.21 ... Still $200 and some change short of $450.00
"To let understanding stop at what cannot be understood is a high attainment.
Those who cannot do it will be destroyed on the lathe of heaven." - Chuang Tse |
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noble1 Special user 651 Posts |
Does anyone know where these sets are available to the general public? Walmart, Toy R Us, Costco?
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NexusMagicShop Elite user Sunny California 434 Posts |
@Noble: Toys R Us I am told does not carry magic sets any longer. I would say use your favorite online retailer, if you do not have a brick and mortar magic shop nearby.
@MMREED Incredible Review, very nice job. I also agree with you. Give credit where credit is due! Poor form...
Jason of BackroomMagic
www.BackroomMagic.com/| Mobile friendly magic forums and blogs www.twitter.com/Nexusmagicstore |
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safuto New user 26 Posts |
To all lovers and haters of Criss Angel and his magic kit;
I understand your frustration. I'm both impressed and embarrassed by some of your posts. Bottom line is...it's a fantastic magic kit. I helped Criss put it together. I can honestly (and not because I work with CA) say that Criss worked his *** off making this kit not only affordable but filled with a ton of great classic magic effects. It's not just for beginners. Most of us working pro's do some of these effects at every show! I DO! I'm proud of every entertainer, magician, mentalist, etc that is willing to put his name on a kit, trick or DVD and actually deliver the goods. Criss made %150 sure that the props are usable and a great prop to use in a show. NO BS. If you hate CA for your own personal reasons I'm Ok with that. You're entitled. But come on guys lets chill a little. Lets put effort into being a better performer. There are so many posts that took so much time to bash CA when the same amount of time could have been spent being contructive. I love D. Blaine but I don't spend hours ripping him a new A***hole for his last TV special ending dangling on a rope! He tried something outrageous and I applaud him! Tim Trono is distributing a Great magic set PERIOD. That's honorable. I think any kid would LOVE getting this as a gift. I've seen the kit and its fantastic! I don't make a dime for saying nice things about this kit. I'm going to stop now because I have to figure out where the final season of Lost is Going Love you all...seriously. Joe Monti Magic Producer and Lead Consultant for Criss Angel's Mindfreak safuto@aol.com PS: Criss is a good guy despite what you read. For those of you who know me I wouldn't work with him if he was anything less. Everyone has had good times and bad times with people they work with. That's their business. Let them work it out. |
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