Card Shark Issue #5 (Emagazine) by Kyle MacNeill $2.80
13 pages
Available at: kyle@macneill-family.freeserve.co.uk
Here we have the latest issue of young Kyle MacNeills emagazine. I dont want to set a precedent of doing ongoing reviews of any magazine, so this will be my final take on Mr. MacNeills offering.
Except where noted, Mr. MacNeill and the contributors do an adequate job of writing and teaching the material. The text contains several typographical errors.
Sudden Sandwich (Alex Hui): The performer tables two squared, face-up Kings. A participant names any red card. The performer spreads the deck face-up to show that the selection has vanished.
He spreads the Kings to reveal a face-down card sandwiched between them. He slides the face-down card out from between the Kings and turns the Kings face-down. He picks up the uppermost King and uses it to flip the formerly sandwiched card face-up. It is the selection.
This is a poorly conceived method. After Mr. Hui shows that the selection has vanished from the deck, he continues to hold it face-down in his left hand, despite the fact that the deck is not used for the remainder of the effect.
After he slides the face-down card out from between the Kings, using his finger, he rationalizes using one of the Kings to turn it over because, I don't even touch the selection with my hand. Too late. You already did.
He does not move the King directly to the tabled card. For no presentational reason, he brings it in contact with the useless deck prior to ostensibly using it to flip over the selection.
The poorly written text suggests that English is not Mr. Huis primary language. If Mr. MacNeill published this contribution without reading it, he was irresponsible. If he read it and thought it was just peachy, I encourage him to stay in school. In either case, he failed in his editorial duty by, uh, not editing this contribution.
I dont like it.
Colour Kings (Andrew Hillcoat): The performer displays a red backed King of Diamonds and a red backed King of Hearts and tables them face-up. He displays a blue backed King of Spades and a blue backed King of Clubs and tables them face-up.
He places the face-down King of Spades between the face-up red Kings and squares the packet. He spreads the packet, removes the King of Spades and shows that it now has a red back.
He repeats the procedure with the King of Clubs and its back changes to red.
The performer reveals that the King of Hearts and the King of Diamonds now have blue backs.
Click on this link to view a performance video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HwcNIWCkpo
Mr. Hillcoat offers a simple handling for this standard effect. It needs an entertaining presentation that describes why the backs change colors.
I like it.
Take it Away! (Kyle MacNeill): Two cards are tabled face-down. Two participants freely select cards, say the Jack of Hearts and the Ace of Spades, which are lost in the deck. The performer turns the tabled cards face-up and places them on top of the deck to display that they are the black Kings. He tables the squared, face-up Kings.
A participant freely names a number between one and fifty-two, say ten. She takes the deck and deals ten cards into a face-down pile. The performer picks up the dealt pile and drops the face-up Kings on top of it.
He waves his hand over the pile and the Kings disappear. He waves his hand over the pile again and the Kings reappear. The performer spreads the cards to display a face-down card between the face-up Kings. He turns it face-up to reveal the Jack of Hearts.
He turns the Jack face-down between the Kings and removes the three card sandwich while tabling the dealt pile. The Jack vanishes from between the Kings. The performer turns the top card of the dealt pile face-up to reveal the Ace of Spades.
Click on this link to view a wretched performance video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itF4jxYh ... e=youtu.be
If Mr. MacNeill posted this video without watching it, he was irresponsible. If he watched it and thought the lighting was just peachy, he needs to see a neurologist.
This forced marriage of Cannibal Cards and ACAAN results in an odd effect that it less than the sum of its parts. The fairness, strength and conceptual integrity of the individual effects are diminished. Its an Anti-Gestalt, if you will.
I dont like it.
Empowered (John Carey): The performer shuffles the deck and allows a participant to cut it. The performer picks up the top card of the deck and hands it to the participant. He picks up the deck and the participant stabs the card partially into the deck.
The performer spreads through the deck and turns the stabbed card face-up, revealing an Ace. He removes the Ace and the cards below and above it. He tables the right hand portion of the deck.
The participant freely selects either the card below the Ace or the card above it. The performer tables the Ace and her selected card and places the remaining card on top of the portion of the deck in his left hand.
The performer turns the unselected card face-up on top of his left hands cards. An indifferent card is seen. The participant turns over the card beside the Ace and discovers the second Ace.
The performer turns the indifferent card face-down and places it on the participants palm. He places his left hands cards on top of the tabled portion of the deck.
The participant waves her free hand over the face-down indifferent card. She turns it over and discovers the third Ace, which she places with the other two Aces.
The performer gives the deck a face-up, face-down shuffle and tables it face-up. The participant waves the Aces over the deck. The performer spreads the deck and reveals that all of the cards are now face-up, except for one face-down card. The participant turns the card face-up and finds the final Ace.
This is a well constructed, commercial effect. Lay folk will dig it.
I like it.
Strike a Match (Roy Walton): The performer removes five pairs of same value, same color cards from the deck and tables them in a face-up pile. He turns the packet face-down and shuffles and cuts it.
The performer fans the packet and a participant freely touches a card, which is tabled face-down. The participant turns the top card of the deck face-up and the performer states that he will use its value, say Four. The participant tables the Four face-down.
The performer transfers four cards, one at a time, from the top to the bottom of the pairs packet. He removes the new top card of the pairs packet and places it face-down atop the previously tabled Four.
This procedure is repeated three times, resulting in four face-down pairs on the table and the final pair held by the performer. He turns pair face-up and reveals a match. The participant turns the tabled pairs face-up and they all match.
Its a new Roy Walton effect, fer chrissakes!
I like it.
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