Fool Us 8/13/18

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erdnasephile
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Fool Us 8/13/18

Postby erdnasephile » August 17th, 2018, 7:58 pm

As the season is going on, I'm sometimes finding that I am enjoying the acts that are NOT fooling P and T more than the ones that do.

I wanted to like the vent act, but I felt the humor was a bit awkward in places and the vent stuff seemed stronger than the magic.

I liked Murray's tribute to Marvyn Roy because I think Mr. Roy is really cool and Murray did the routine well.

Kelvin Chow was entertaining. I think Teller was fooled by the deck production and Penn's face made it seem like he got fooled on the first gradual color change (which looked great). However, the longer the act went, the more certain movements became associated with the changes, which somewhat hurt the magic (for me at least). I also think the act would have had more impact had it been shorter.

I had mixed feelings about the exposure at the end. I liked the routine and motivation behind the presentation a lot. The exposure stung a bit because that particular technique is used in a couple of really strong tricks I favor, so I'm sorry to see it out there in public (no doubt it's been there before). However, it seems like the majority of folks who attend the show or watch Fool Us regularly are probably magic fans and not just indiscriminate viewers, so it didn't seem like a big deal or gratuitous. P and T also didn't ballyhoo the thing like the MM did back in the day. In the end, there was a presentational reason for the exposure, which made a difference in my mind.

Bill Duncan
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Re: Fool Us 8/13/18

Postby Bill Duncan » August 17th, 2018, 10:35 pm

My initial reaction to the show, back in Season 1, was that it taught audiences that being fooled wasn't the be-all and end-all of magical entertainment, because some of the best acts didn't fool them.

I think ultimately it has created a a different way of watching magic for laymen, and I've noticed over the years that Penn often spends as much time talking about how great a routine that didn't fool them is, and just why he thinks so...

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erdnasephile
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Re: Fool Us 8/13/18

Postby erdnasephile » August 18th, 2018, 3:07 pm

Agreed. The "Fool Us" conceit is a secondary issue. Really, it's more like a magic appreciation show in many ways--magic being presented in a respectful, optimal way with performers you'd seldom see in other formats.

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Peirceman
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Re: Fool Us 8/13/18

Postby Peirceman » August 18th, 2018, 6:33 pm

I agree. Penn has said many times during the show that the basis for the show is that P & T are fans of great magic and the reason for the show is to showcase great magicians, not to show how much they know. In season 5, first episode, the first magician was a comedy any that did the invisible deck, and loved it.

I am, for one, a big fan of the show.

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pabloin us
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Re: Fool Us 8/13/18

Postby pabloin us » August 19th, 2018, 10:44 am

I am more a spectator than a magician, and my magic experience is very limited, however I do understand the basics of magic and how some of the tricks are done, even if I don't understand the specific sleight.

With that said, I find Fool Us very entertaining, one hour per week I can see from 3 to 4 magic acts very well produced in a beautiful setting (Rio Hotel) .

In the mentioned episode, I like them all, the ventriloquist was fun to watch, his puppets were great and the magic ok. Mr. Chow was Great, he surprised me with some of the changes, I would agreed that the routine was a little long because the subject was always the same. The tribute was a nice touch, Murray could used the time to show off himself instead he decided to show something of his mentor, very nice.

The trick performed by P&T, while exposing the force, it was accompanied with a nice story about them being remember in the future.

All along I enjoyed Fool Us a lot


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