REVIEW: STONE COLD MAGIC

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars!

LINK TO REVIEW: www.mylovelyassistant.com/reviews/view/4956

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FULL REVIEW: Stone Cold Magic is an excellent project by the one and only Jeff Stone from this very website and also Magic Reviewed (www.magicreviewed.com). The DVD is a series of tricks performed and explained by Stone in a simple table setting. It is almost like a private lesson in which you are taught 17 tricks and effects. Stone is a genuinely likeable, funny and sometimes goofy and teaches in a clear and easy to understand manner. This DVD has tricks that are good for anyone from beginner to pro, although it is more appropriate for intermediate performers and above. It is a great project that won the endorsement of Jay Sankey.

The project contains a mix of card-trick creations by Stone and some of his pals (Jason Montoya and David Winkler) as well as others (including a very cool Jay Sankey trick with cards and a rubber band). Some of the tricks taught can be done with a borrowed and shuffled deck, some require a slight amount of set-up, some gaff or duplicate cards and even a bit of arts-and-crafts.

Although Stone performs each trick in a studio setting, there are only imagined spectators. I would have liked to have seen him interact with real people as I am sure his patter, taken live, would have been very entertaining.

The trick/effect descriptions from the ad-copy are accurate and need not be repeated here. There are some great moves taught and great ideas presented that no doubt will make it into your arsenal not only in the way presented by Stone, but also for other routines as well. There are a few killer routines that tickled my fancy, including the Target Card, Sardeen Window, Keep your Eye on the Joker, The WTC Move and others.

The DVD menu has all the Presentations in a row, followed by all the Explanations. Additionally there is a Bonus Effects Section and a Gag Reel. Let me just say that the Bonus Effects track contains a trick called the Spectral Chill that is keeping me up at night. The trick is crazy good and even though I know how to perform it, I have no idea how it works. It is mind-boggling. Any beginner can do this trick and look like a pro. The Gag Reel is a bloopers track that is hysterical and made me laugh out loud. Jeff’s sense of humor permeates this DVD in many ways. His split-second screen shots of a can of SPAM, his mock commercials and his joke patter to his pretend spectators in which he pretends he cannot tell if the spectator is a man or a woman. Stone said “I was going for cheeeeeeeeeeeeeesyyyyyyyy - we're talking 1950's sci-fi cheesy. I thought the Spam commercial in between the performance and explanation segment fit the bill.” Well, he nailed it!

I really loved this DVD. It teaches a ton of great magic! Very highly recommended!