What do you get?

You get a clearly shot DVD which runs to about 30 minutes and explains all you need to know – how it works, how to get in to position and out again, presentation ideas, some forcing methods etc. You also get a set of gimmicks which will enable you to reveal cards, numbers, ESP symbols etc. But you could make your own extra gimmicks once you’ve understood the principle. You will need to supply a small quantity of a very commonly found household item to complete your gimmick. But don’t worry about ‘craft skills’ – this is about as simple as it can be.

The Effects

Wink essentially utilises an under-used optical principle to ‘make the magic work’ – and you can use it in a whole variety of ways. The core routine makes the spectator the mind reader – so they look into the glass and can ‘divine’ a card (or number etc) chosen by another spectator.

The Other Brothers have given plenty of thought to how to make this play to a larger group and explain this carefully on the DVD. You’re not limited to a wine glass – but could use a bottle – as long as the contents isn’t too dark.

The obvious appeal of this idea is that it uses an object that would be readily available in many close up and walkaround performing situations – and that you can make the spectator the ‘hero’ is even better. The gimmick is all but invisible and handling is really very straightforward.

A nod is as good as a…

We always strive to tell it how it is in our reviews, so although we love this concept here are a few small negative points. We would have loved to see a live performance on the DVD – I’m always amazed by how many products seem to miss this out – but it is a great way of gauging the feel of a routine in the hands of a performer who has (hopefully!) done it many times before.

Given the nature of the principle involved there could be minor angle issues. However, these are well covered in the teaching and with only minimal audience management there is no real reason why this should be a problem.

Wink, wink, say no more

This is a really nice concept which I can see having many applications given a little creativity. I love that you can pick up a spectator’s drink and do the magic with it – very visual and surprising. This is only the second release we’ve seen from the Other Brothers (check out our review of Hands Down here), but so far we like what we’ve seen! Recommended.

Wink is available direct from MagicShop.co.uk for only £18.99 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

The post The Other Brothers – Wink – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

The effect

It’s slightly misleading to talk of ‘the effect’ since in fact in essence this is a subtle principle which they then wrap up in a number of different kinds of presentation. The principle helps you to know which hand a small object will be in. The presentations vary wildly. In one, you do a ‘psychological’ experiment – and not only demonstrate that you knew all the choices a spectator would make, but that you predicted the final outcome in advance. In another you also reveal the name of a friend which they’ve written on the piece of paper. The variations are really up to your imagination – and which other principles you might want to bring into play.

Hands Down the best which hand routine?

It is a very clever idea – and the two Darryls helpfully outline a number of sneaky principles you can weave in and subtleties to help to disguise the mechanics. It is pretty easy to do – but perhaps the best part (compared to many other methods on the market) is that it doesn’t require any special props – you can pretty much do it with whatever’s lying around. They suggest using a post-it note in one routine and a playing card in another – but you could use a business card or anything that you could lay your hands on.

I love effects like this which rely mainly on subtlety – and being a step or two ahead of your audience – and I think this would be a great effect to have in your armoury. The ‘psychological’ presentation could be very funny in the right hands (!) but I think the one involving a friend’s name could potentially have greater impact (though does require another principle – which is taught – to be utilised).

You see a live performance of this latter version and a studio performance of the former – which gives you some idea of what the effect looks like in the real world. The DVD also contains a clear explanation of all aspects of the routine. It only lasts 22 minutes – but that is more than enough to get you performing. You don’t get anything else in the package because you don’t need anything else that you wouldn’t already have lying around!

I can see this getting some use – and am looking forward to playing around with the principle to mould it into something which suits my own performing style and preferences. A good release from a couple of magicians I’ve never heard of and at this low price, well worth a punt.

Available direct from Merchant of Magic for £12.99 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

The post The Other Brothers – Hands Down – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.