DVD this month

[Guest]

For me, the unquestioned highlight was Alex Elmsley. He gave a better performance than most of the pros. There was a PLOT...as opposed to most of the pros. There was a nice little twist at the very end to button up the tale and bring about resolution...as opposed to most of the pros.

Given a choice beteen paying to see Mr. Elmsley, and a pro on the vid whose act is full of hacky, stand-up comic's stock lines...and you know who you are!...I'd hand my loot over to see Mr. Elmsley any time.

What disturbed me, though, was the proliferation of "I'm gonna do this...now I'm gonna do that...blahblahblah" coming from the people who make their livings performing magic. With scripting like this, it's no wonder magic is considered less-than-an-artform by the general public.

That said, even a simple procedural script, like Tommy Wonder's, can be incredibly entertaining in hands such as his. What an entertainer!

Banzai

[Ryan Matney]

I remember when the Elmsley videos first came out all of the reviews had lines such as "Mr. Elmsley is not a performer..." and "Elmsley is not a strong presenter and not a professional performer....but his magic is clever blah blah"

I've never understood this. From the first time I saw those videos I've found Alex Elmsley charming, funny, clever, and a very effective performer. he may be low key but he speaks well and clearly and knows what works for him and never seems corny to me. He should get more respect in that area.

[Guest]

Originally posted by Ryan Matney:
I remember when the Elmsley videos first came out all of the reviews had lines such as "Mr. Elmsley is not a performer..." and "Elmsley is not a strong presenter and not a professional performer....but his magic is clever blah blah"

I've never understood this. From the first time I saw those videos I've found Alex Elmsley charming, funny, clever, and a very effective performer. he may be low key but he speaks well and clearly and knows what works for him and never seems corny to me. He should get more respect in that area.

Without question! On this particular video, his performance is the most entertaining, after Tommy Wonder's.

I also REALLY enjoyed Ted Lesley's, especially since he was working in a language he's clearly not entirely comfortable with.

Banzai

[Pete McCabe]

I enjoyed Alex Elmsley's performance, although it's tough to judge because he was performing for an audience of famous magicians. I personally found his trick very lacking -- way too much unmotivated handling and the cards spend an awful long time face down between before assembling.

Tommy Wonder clearly got the best reaction from the crowd. What a wonderful performance. His pacing is well worth studying.

[Bill Duncan]

Sorry guys but what the hell are you talking about?

What is "DVD this month" that apparently has old footage from the Tahoe Sessions and the Visions Of Wonder?

Did some posts get snipped or something? This thread is a bit confusing.

[Joe Pecore]

I'm assuming the DVD that came in this month's Genii.

[Guest]

Originally posted by Bill Duncan:
Sorry guys but what the hell are you talking about?

What is "DVD this month" that apparently has old footage from the Tahoe Sessions and the Visions Of Wonder?

Did some posts get snipped or something? This thread is a bit confusing.

Sorry, Bill! this month's Genii has a DVD from the P&L catalogue that includes 24 clips of shooters performing tricks. Malone, Lorayne, McBride...the whole Hee Haw gang. It's really, really cool in that you can compare performers side-by-side.

Banzai