We have loved the Move Zero series and couldn’t wait to get our hands on Volume 4.  But there’s always that fear that the quality will drop – or the sequel won’t be as good. Well [spoiler alert] we weren’t disappointed.   I guess you really want to know about the tricks first of all, so here’s our review…

Proximity – This is a clever presentational twist on an old principle.  The spectator thinks of a card and you make two predictions you think will be ‘close’.  When the spectator’s thought of card is located (in a freely shuffled deck), the cards either side are found to match your two ‘predictions’!  This is a brilliant way to open the DVD and I love the entertaining twist on a principle you may well already know.  And on a very few occasions you’ll get a different but possibly even stronger outcome!  This one’s going straight into my impromptu repertoire!

Second Reckoning – this is a remix of Dead Reckoning (from Move Zero Vol 1 or Dear Mr Fantasy). The spectator shuffles the cards and then chooses a bunch.  They remember a card at the number they have chosen and the mentally spell out the name of that card.  Amazingly without anyone saying anything out loud, the performer stops dealing at the end of their spelling and has stopped on their very card.  Very fooling effect – though it doesn’t use a whole deck – which may put some people off. Baffling for the spectator and easy to do. No reset. Brilliant.

Power of Poker – this is a routine which has appeared on at least one other DVD we’ve seen (and also in Dear Mr Fantasy) – but apart from anything else I really liked the jumbo cards he used in this version!  Essentially, in spite of the the fairness of all the spectator’s choices, they manage to deal you a royal flush which beats their full house.

Banco – a spectator makes all the choices and yet you end up with all the envelopes full of cash! This is a nice example of taking a principle from one effect and moving it to another area. This is undeniably clever, but for me seems slightly less fooling than its playing card equivalent.  On the other hand, effects with cash always pique a spectator’s interest and so it may be that the hook makes up for any possible shortcomings in the trick.  To use the presentation Bannon uses you will need to purchase a few special bank notes which you can probably pick up online.

Depth Charge – this is a very clever ACAAN type of effect. One spectator chooses a small packet of cards to create a number. The second spectator creates a random card out of two that have been randomly shuffled to.  This is a great example of how ‘layering’ really obscures the method. It looks so fair and the result is devastating.  There is a very simple ‘move’ involved – but it is so easy it doesn’t disqualify it from the Move Zero label!  One of the sneakiest ACAANs I have seen – and definitely a worker.

Lost in Translation – this is a fun prediction effect where three playing cards stand in for three words – which you can reveal.  And then there’s a nice cheesy kicker (!) at the end.  It’s a whimsical little effect which doesn’t have the feel of a card trick even though in one sense it is.  If the gag appeals to you then it will be an easy addition to your repertoire.  But I suspect not everyone will want to use the gag!  You could easily take the idea and weave your own version around it.

View to a skill – this is a clever take on the classic Miraskill (which can be found, amongst other places, in The Encyclopedia of Card Tricks) which removes all the sleight of hand (instead utilising some sleight of mouth!) and turns the thing into more of a game. Typically lateral Bannon thinking here to make a fun effect.  I love the way it is structured to cancel out methods in the spectator’s mind.  The dealing procedure makes this a fairly long effect – so you will need the right context to perform – but it is a great one to have in your bag.

GoFiguration – after a very fair looking series of shuffles and decision by the spectator, you have managed to arrive at four of a kind.  This is a masterclass in layering methods and subtle manoeuvers.  Another really strong effect for very little effort.

Triplicity – the spectator cuts to a random number of cards, then remembers a card at that number in the deck. First you read their mind, then you reveal what number their card sits at (once the deck has been cut) and finally you reveal that you predicted both things in advance. This is another great routine which very much works itself but would be utterly baffling to a layperson.

What do we think?

This is the fourth volume in an excellent series. It has been some time since I looked at the earlier volumes which makes comparisons hard, but my sense this time is that this material is more consistently strong than the earlier disks.  And they were excellent so that gives you some indication of the quality here.

There are several effects here which are well worth having up your sleeve when you’re out and about – they need no real preparation and are easy to do.  Although this series is aimed at those who are new to card magic I think that even an old hand will learn a thing or two here.

In addition to the strong magic, there are insightful gems to be found in the interview segments which intersperse the magic.  Like the earlier volumes there are also ‘Trick Bag’ sections which takes a look at some of the principles used in the effects in some more detail – which may help you utilise them in your own ideas.  The final interview section has some pointers for ‘next steps’ for the magician who is just starting out.  These could be really useful if you’re just finding your way with sleight of hand.

As always, everything is well attributed/credited.  As you’ll notice, some of the effects have been published in recent years – so if you’re the sort of person that likes learning from books, you could do a lot worse than looking up his recent books.

Move Zero Volume 4 is unreservedly recommended and you can pick it up from MagicShop.co.uk – just as soon as it is released – for £26.99.

(Review copy kindly supplied by BBM)

John Bannon – Move Zero Vol 4 – review (TOTM – Oct 2017)

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The post John Bannon – Move Zero Vol 4 – review (TOTM – Oct 2017) appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

I was delighted when a review copy of this Bannon two-disc set landed on my desk (well, technically it landed on my floor having come through the letter box). One of the reasons it has taken me so long to write this review is because I have been busy. The other, is because I didn’t want anyone else to know how good it is.

At the outset it is worth saying that the discs are produced to the usual high BBM standards, though I detect that Bannon’s influence may have toned down the overall design. The title menu picks up the DVD title with words appearing to the sound of gunshots.

The introduction is miss-able, unless you have a liking for quotes, so I will get straight on to the effects.

Dead Reckoning
This is a spelling card location after a very fair looking selection and mix. You will love or hate Bannon’s presentational style, but he certainly thinks carefully about his plots and patter. The very clever ‘layering’ of different techniques produces an almost self-working miracle. Brilliant! (originally published in Dear Mister Fantasy)

Dawn Patrol
This is a card sandwich effect that looks unbelievably fair. It does require a perfect faro (on which he has some comments) – which makes it one of the more technically demanding effects on the set. (originally published in Dear Mister Fantasy)

Doctored Daley
This isn’t a new trick, simply Bannon’s presentational premise for The Last Trick of Dr Daley. I can’t really say more than that without spoiling it. But I like it and it works!

Power of Poker
A brilliant self-working effect where in spite of 10 free choices of the spectator, the performer’s poker hand always wins. Again, clever construction removes the need for complicated sleights.

Counterpunch/Four Faces North
This routine starts with a nice little in the hands variation of the cross cut force which then gets you into a clever 4 ace location where they appear reversed in the deck. That sets you up for a second phase where 3 of the aces disappear leaving only their ‘selected’ one. This immediately leads into a Triumph type finish where again the aces appear reversed in the deck. A little more handling is required for this routine than some, but it is still within the reach of all but the terminally incompetent cardician. During the explanation, some helpful subtleties on handling are described.

Watching the Detectives/New Jax/Full Circle
This is another sandwich type effect where the spectator is led up the garden path before the magic happens. An ace is selected and lost in the deck, and then located between a pair of Jacks. It incorporates a very clever little switch which is dead easy to do. The lead into the next part of the routine does require a multiple shift which may put some off. If you can perform the multiple shift then the routine cleverly moves straight into a further sandwich effect which has some relationship to the One Eyed Jack sandwich of Harry Lorayne (I first saw this in My Favourite Card Tricks – now reprinted with several other books in Classic Collection). The whole thing is then ‘cleaned up’ by locating all four aces again.

Origami Prediction
This is a prediction effect where the spectator makes lots of choices and shuffles, including an ingenious ‘folding procedure’(hence the name) yet the magician predicts the final outcome. Some set up is required. It is more or less self-working though, as with any effect, you need to remember the order of handling. He explains a nice little false cut to start with. This is a streamlined ‘final’ (?) version of a principle explored in the excellent Dear Mister Fantasy. At the end of the trick Bannon briefly defends the use of maths in magic – though I think the trick actually speaks for itself in this regard.

The Einstein Overkill
I first encountered this principle in the Koran Jackpoint Coins presentation (which I first saw on an old Paul Daniels show in the 80s/90s – sorry – end of nostalgia trip). I hadn’t realised this was itself based on a principle that was old even at the time of the classic Greater Magic. This is a clever prediction effect with an extra kicker at the end, though for some people the ‘mathematical’ nature of the presentation may not appeal. I do think the principle has more appeal in a money-based presentation, though the use of cards does mean it can be performed anywhere.

Bullet Train – Iconoclastic Aces/Syncopated Aces/Interrobang Aces
The ‘title track’ and for me one of the strongest sequences in the set. Essentially 3 versions of the ‘4 Ace Trick’ but with all the magic happening before you expect it. Extremely direct, classic Bannon routineing, and not even that difficult to perform. Wonderful. (These also appeared first in Dear Mister Fantasy)

J.B. Flytrap False Cut
As its name suggests, this is a false cut. This one is entirely in the hands, doesn’t look too showy, and maintains whole deck order. It is very clearly and carefully explained in Bannon’s usual succinct way.

Bannon Triumph
Do we need another version? In a sense, this isn’t another version, but a 20-year-old version first published under a different name in Impossibilia. It requires some set-up and Bannon gives some discussion of suitable false shuffles to use at the start of the effect. Instead of ‘righting’ a face-up and face-down deck (with the exception of the spectator’s card) as in the classic Triumph routine, this effect ‘rights’ all but one suit of the deck – which then reveals the spectator’s choice as the only missing card in the sequence. Because of the slightly different plot, it enables the ‘Triumph’ part of the routine to look particularly fair.

Some Concluding Observations

Bannon’s style wont be to everyone’s taste. Nothing ever is. He has a very ‘measured’ performance approach – perhaps something to do with his legal background? – but it suits him. His cleverness often lies in very careful routineing to eliminate difficult sleights, but there is an occasional payoff as routines sometimes feel slightly ‘procedurally’ heavy. On the other hand, if you are interested in developing your own routines (and I hope you are) then his comments on the thinking behind the construction of several of the routines is very stimulating and helpful.

I very much appreciate his honesty in attributing influences and sources from which particular routines have been developed. If I had one criticism, it would be that (as you will see above) quite a lot of the material has been released before, in print. So if you are familiar with his books you may crave some more new material. On the other hand, it is always good to see how the originator performs his effects, and some of the effects have ‘matured’ since publication.

The bottom line is that there is some really excellent magic on these DVDs. For me, I think I will always slightly prefer the books – especially his quirky way of often describing effects as a kind of dialogue between himself and another magician. But the clarity which is a major strength of the books is demonstrated in spades on the DVDs.

Buy it. Learn from it. You will certainly use some of the routines. But please think carefully about your own personality and how you might shape the routines. I don’t want to start meeting a series of poor Bannon clones…

Available from Merchant of Magic for £25.99.

The post John Bannon – Bullets After Dark – a mini review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Well the good folk at BBM are shortly releasing a 2DVD set of his work called Bullets After Dark and have kindly made a review copy available to me. I haven’t had time to view it yet (but soon…) but if you pre-order you get some brilliant extras which I HAVE looked at already.

There is a an e-book called Open and Notorious which is on the theme of the classic Open Prediction. This is fantastic! I love it. There are 3 different versions – they won’t please the purists since they do not fulfill all the original requirements – but to my mind they are still very strong effects, and potentially more entertaining for the spectator than the original premise. Classic Bannon.

You also get a little video preview and explanation of a trick called Chain Gang. This is a sort of 3 card sandwich (collectors) type effect – requiring some facility with cards, but very clean.

I presume that these goodies will only be supplied with pre-orders, so I suggest you go over and pre-order now!

The post The Genius of Bannon appeared first on Bicycle Cards.