Reviews of products by Kyle MacNeill
4 ★★★★★ reviews
The Double Issue 2
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 11 December, 2024)
The highlight of this newsletter is a short interview with Peter Duffie, but it also includes instructions for a couple of small effects, and a few other tidbits.
Card Shark Issue 5
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Feras Kharboush
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 02 March, 2012)
The issue opens with a trick by Alex Hui which to me was the trick I liked the most though I know others won't share my view. from a shuffled deck a named card disappears from the pack only to appear in between the tabled 2 kings which never touched the deck once they're tabled. Its a nice idea but has problematic aspects. I wished for a better vanish of a named card in the pack but I didn't mind the method here because I already use it. The real problem is the final revelation; you'll do 2 moves after revealing the facedown card in the sandwich. The first is fine since the heat will be somewhere else, while the 2nd is done right where the heat is. Some people won't like it, some people might even think the construction is ridiculous. I think its interesting.
The next trick debuts Scottish magician Andrew Hillcoat. Always nice to learn tricks from new names and this one is alright. Its a gimmickless packet trick where the blue backs of the 2 black kings each change color after being sandwiched in between the red backed red kings, the red kings' backs then change to blue as a climax. If you like the plot the method is quite straightforward. You'll table a double two times during the trick. As a packet trick with almost no counts, I think its fine but I cant see myself doing it.
Kyle MacNeill contributes a version of cannibal cards which, quite frankly ( and sorry Kyle ), doesn't make any sense. The jokers are out & 2 selections are returned, spectator names a number between 1-52 and deals that number of cards on the table. The jokers are placed on that packet and vanish, only to come again with a card in between, the 1st selection. The card vanishes, you say their named number is quite special, since the top card of the tabled packet is shown to be the 2nd selection.
So you got a card that appears in a sandwich then disappears, and the 2nd card appearing at their named number as a "climax". I find quite confusing. Also, The method wont be really deceptive if a very low number is named. You'll also be doing an Erndase color change with a packet which, depending on their named number, can be quite difficult to do. I know it is for me.
John Carey's trick is a winner. A routine based on Allan Ackerman's Quick Coincidence. Spectator uses an ace to find another ace, an indifferent card changes to an ace, then the deck is up and down, all cards then face the same way except the final ace. Easily the best and the most practical trick in the magazine, taken from his DVD set 24/7.
Then There's Roy Walton's trick.
Its a self-working trick with only a-4-card-setup. I didn't try it out but I think it can fool a quite a few magicians. I don't know about laymen but if you're familiar with Roy Walton's style of self-working tricks, this is no exception. I think its pretty good, though I don't think many will perform it regularly to lay audiences.
Quite a long review for an ebook that's less than 3$. I'd say buy it.
Card Shark Issue 3
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Skott Hughes (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 11 January, 2012)
After getting this yesterday and performing EDGY last night all I can say is :
Kevin Schallers Edgy is my new favorite worker.
This 1 effect killed my supporters last night at my show. At this price how could you not "give it a try".
I did, and will now be buying all of these pdf gems.
All of the effects are well thought out. Mike Gelasi has several w/ video links to YouTube for the actual performance.
Skott Hughes
2 Can Play At This Game
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Matthew Jackson
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 09 October, 2011)
I love this book. I do though believe that Gelasi and MacNeill make different types of magic and I don't think they should be combined in the book.
Not to say that MacNeill's magic is bad, but I prefer Gelasi's as it is more simple but I understand that many may prefer MacNeill's.
I just don't think the two different types of magic should be mixed as I found myself only being attracted to Gelasi's stuff as they are nearly all easy setups whereas MacNeill's seem to be gimmicked or needs duplicates etc.
Overall, the book is great despite my opinions.
Be
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Feras A. Alkharboush
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 14 June, 2011)
After reading/watching lots of books/dvds, its not unusual to use only one item from a book I just read or get inspired to work out my own ideas. "Be", by Kyle MacnNeil, is a rare case for me: with the exception of 2 items that I didn't really care about, the other 6 I did end up either use or play a lot with, refine then later, use. that's the majority of the ebook, and its been awhile since this happened to me.
Lets get rid of the technicalities: Its all card magic. Some effects use blank cards though you can easily just use the jokers instead. No gaffs. The descriptions are very clear and to the point. In contrast with his other Kyle ebooks I have ( Hands Hof! and Wild at Heart ) this one is very well edited and has a very elegant design. He did spend some time on this issue. There are few pictures though they're more than enough to understand the explanations. There's a video of one of the tricks which is always nice.
The ebook starts off with an essay on creating magic that stimulates different reactions. Don't expect Eugene Burger for the author isn't old enough to grow a beard, but it is indeed a nice read. And you thought Kids today aren't smart. ( feels odd saying this and I'm only 25 )
After reading some of Kyle's material I have to say that I'm impressed. Some plots are indeed off-beat and the methods are so simple you'll end up hitting the wall for not coming up with them. For me, this seems to be Kyle's strength: Simple methods leading to good ( and sometimes big ) results.
The first trick,Cheddar + Chutney, is a very neat sandwich plot. A card vanishes from a sandwich then you do the opposite, the card becomes the sandwich! You use this card to find the cards sandwiching the 2nd selection. This is inspired by Dave Forrest trick ‘Piccalilli’ which I'm not familiar, so I'm not sure of the originality of this. I loved The first two phases are killer and indeed a nice twist to sandwiches.
Box + Deck is a routine I ended up using as written. Its a multi-transposition routine with signatures on the backs, or you can change that and go with the very slick presentation. The highlight for me was Kyle's clever use of one of my favorite sleights: He uses it to visually have a card penetrate the box AND to set up a clean vanish of a signature. Very clever.
I'm a big fan of Everywhere and Nowhere and perform different versions of it, Everywhere Prediction is a version that I will use. Its a great opener that can be done with any deck. This is the first E&Nowhere routine I've read that adds a prediction and it actually makes sense. With the playful presentation that fits my character, This is a decent twist on Everywhere and Nowhere that fans of the plot should check out.
Blank You Very Much is a very interesting principle. The effect sounds like a miracle: Spectator places a freely thought of card in his pocket, you show a joker/blank card and place it in your pocket. With a snap, you name the freely thought of card, and you take it from your pocket. The spectator himself reaches to his pocket and pulls out the card: its the blank. That's exactly how the effect plays out.
This is simply genius if you make it work ( picking the right spectator and careful audience management are key ) and is only 1-on-1. This is something I heavily played with just thinking of different ways to apply it. Its not a magicians fooler but its simply brilliant. If you like having laymen doing sleights for you ( Las Vegas Leaper? ) you'll want to check this out.
Sandwich Triumph is a Triumph mixed with a sandwich with a climax of finding the mates of the selection. The plot isn't new though the method here is very direct and to the point. Some setup is needed though you can work around it( if you own Card College ). There's a weird sandwich load that's credited to Cameron Francis, I didn't think it'll fool laymen though it did in my test performances. Anyways this is a trick I ended up not using, the magic world is full of Triumphs and while this is simple, it wont make you switch from the method you're already using.
Cricket is a version of Paul Harris's Grasshopper. This is something that needed a bit streamlining to become a great worker and indeed this is a version that I now use in a larger routine. The highlights here are the sandwich reveal and the one handed Fandango move ( the original sleight is Ben Harris's ). Both are good, REAL good, and ridiculously simple. Both of them are explained in a separate section, followed by a video performance for the trick which does help to show off the moves.
Instant Repeat Collectors is a very neat idea that allows you to do a clean repeat phase to almost any collectors routine in existence. This is something that I also ended up playing with a lot, very simple and clever. The explanations could be cleaner and a video would've been helpful.
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There you have it. I'm pleasantly surprised at the quality of the material and the amount I ended up playing with and use.
In a nutshell, get this if: - Want simple card magic, with easy and particularly simple methods. - Interested in a nice transposition with 2 signed backs. - Interested in mixing Everywhere and Nowhere with a prediction. - Interested in ways to make laymen do sleights for you ( as in Blank You Very Much ) - Want to learn a neat sandwich reveal and and one handed Fandango.
Don't get this if: - Interested in more creative methods than creative plots. - You're a move monkey. - Feel sad to find out a kid is almost as smart if not smarter than you.
For 10$, highly recommended.
Hands Hof!
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Feras A. Alkharboush
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 01 June, 2011)
I was sent a review copy of this so I'll be thorough. I don't know Kyle personally so this is unbiased. This is the kind of trick that can be exposed easily by a detailed review, I'll my best to avoid that.
Its always difficult to write a review about an effect that its either a love-or-hate. The main effect, "Hands Hof!", a version of Hofzinser's Aces performed completely with the spectator(s) handling everything, has a lot of things going for it, and other things that don’t.
Lets get things out of the way first: The ebook isn’t made by Ben Harris so don’t expect high design quality. There are no illustrations/pictures though you won't need them. The author is very young so don’t expect him to be a great writer. The editing ( at the time of this writing ) can be improved though you will understand the description perfectly. There's a link to a performance in case you get lost. The crediting, however, is phenomenal, this is not an encyclopedia of Hofzinser's Lost Aces Problem though its definitely very informative. If you're new to the plot or interested in it, this is an extremely good place to start looking up information.
How good the trick is? The method is extremely simple and you'll hit yourself for not thinking of it. The effect itself is very good and did get very good reactions in my test performances, particularly since you really don't touch the deck at any point and the magic happens completely in their hands. If that sounds like a pipe-dream, keep in mind these limitations: - Its YOUR deck, with a small setup. - You have to introduce an ace-packet that you setup in advance ( takes less than 5 seconds if you have the needed ungaffed cards, put it in your wallet/pocket and you're set ). You can't use the aces from the deck.
If you decide to carry the ace-packet( in your wallet/pocket ), the setup in the deck itself is so minimal it can be achieved quickly. The effect itself is a variation of the Hofzinser plot, I don’t think I can go through it since its can be backtracked easily by magicians even by description alone. Yes, its far from a magician fooler though it plays very well for laymen. A nice thing about it is you won't have any problems doing it strolling. Only one common sleight is needed. You do end a liiiiiittle bit dirty though you don’t need to worry about. There is a clean up idea offered that adds a second phase ( discussed later ) though I'd ignore it. Its worth mentioning that if you manage to recollect the original contents of the ace-packet nonchalantly after the trick and place it in your pocket, you're clean AND you're reset for another table, leaving you with a clean normal deck ready for your next trick. You can't repeat the effect to the same spectators. The method is very simple and VERY economical, you get a very big effect for SO little effort, and that's where "Hands Hof!" really shine.
That’s it for the main trick. Now for the other ideas.
David Gemmell offers 2 variations. Both minimize the cards needed for the initial setup of the ace-packet though each at a cost. The first variation has a convoluted selection procedure. In the second the final effect is different: the ace ( say hearts ) changes places with the mate of the selection (a diamond ).
A 2nd phase idea by Ray Noble let you finish clean up and change the selection back to the ace. Its not good with no justified actions, and you only end clean if you prepare the ace packet from the deck you're performing with, otherwise you're going to end up with 4 aces ( which you're supposed to to put back in your wallet ) and a deck with 3 aces only. Its obvious he didn't work it, Skip it.
You also get 2 bonus Hofzinser variations taken from Kyle's other ebooks, both of them use 3 selections instead of one. Both are different and somewhat offbeat in terms of plot variation, and while the patter isn’t for everyone I do find them interesting. Both have a climax that I think doesn’t flow with the plot (though the cheesy patter somewhat justifies it): a back changes color or a card to box. Some people might like it especially if they managed to streamline the handling.
In a nutshell-
Get this if: - You don’t mind carrying a packet of 4 cards in your wallet/pocket. - Want a very good, extremely easy hands off version of Hofzinser's Aces. - Appreciate extremely simple methods leading to huge outcomes. - Have no problems knocking your head on the wall for not thinking of it. - Open minded to variations in the plot.
Don't get this if: - You're obsessed with good editing. - Want to do a version with the aces in your working deck ( e.g. producing them beforehand) - Don’t want to spend the pocket space of carrying a packet. - Want to fool magicians
Oh, and its just 5 bucks. 4 stars.