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Move Zero Vol 4 – John Bannon
$30.00
http://www.bigblindmedia.com/
The Hype:
Move Zero IV sees renowned card master John Bannon unleash some of the most powerful and deceptive SLEIGHT FREE card tricks ever invented. Swapping ingenious methods, audacious construction and sneaky wordplay for sleight of hand, Bannon will arm you with nine incredible routines that anyone can do….but will fool ANYONE!
Move Zero IV some truly iconic and word class tricks – “Power of Poker” is perhaps the definitive word on “the spectator makes all the choices” poker routines. “Second Reckoning” is a truly unfathomable mystery that features a method almost as exciting and impressive as the trick! And, of “Triplicity”, magician Tim Trono said “If you buy this DVD for nothing but Triplicity. You will have received your investment back many times over.”
These tricks are as far removed from the mathematical monstrosities found in most “self working card trick” projects as you could imagine. Built on the cornerstones of subtlety, elegance and sheer faceslapping impact, Bannon will arm you with routines that can be performed in any environment, at any time – and all achievable without resorting to a single move.
In addition to the nine featured routines there are also four hugely useful “Trickbag” sections on the special methods John Bannon employs to such devastating effect. Put these devious techniques into your own arsenal and you’ll be able to take your own magical creations to whole new levels of deceptiveness.
With a running time of 2 hours 22 minutes, Move Zero IV is a massive resource, stuff with incredible ricks, invaluable techniques, enlightening interviews and indispensable advice.
My Take:
I have been privileged to have reviewed John Bannon’s Move Zero series Volumes 1-3. Now I have mixed feelings on Volume 4. I love it but it marks the last of one of my all time favorite sets of DVD’s. In fact, I liked the series so much, I actually went out and bought the book Destination Zero, to have as a backup. In comparing the book to the sets, a surprising fact emerged. Most of the tricks on the set are not even in the book. And there are tricks in the book that are not on the set. So, yes. Even if you have the book or the full set of DVD’s, there are more great things to be had by purchasing the other.
To be perfectly fair on the sleightless aspect, one trick uses a multiple slip shuffle force which is almost easy enough to be called a non-sleight. Due to the ease and effectivemess of this “move”, I have no problem with it being used in this context. The only complaint I might have is that a number of the tricks do require a setup so could not be done totally impromptu. However there are some great impromptu routines included.
Now for the tricks!
Proximity – The spectator shuffles the deck and then simply thinks of any card. The magician removes two cards, neither of which is the thought of card but he says they are close to it. The card is removed and returned face up into the deck. When the deck is spread, the card on either side of the selection is removed and seen to match the two cards chosen by the magician.
Second Reckoning – This is a redo of Dead Reckoning from Volume 2 of Move Zero. However a different method is used to achieve the effect. A packet of cards is shuffled and the spectator hands about half of them to the magician. A few more cards are removed and a card is chosen. The name of the card is spelled to and the card is found at that position. Ingenious method and the spectator can do all of the handling and shuffling.
Power of Poker – John’s handling of the 10 card poker deal requiring no equivoque and no Jonah card. Nice little kicker at end adds to effect. I believe this was originally in Dear Mr. Fantasy (which also happens to be one of my all time favorite rock songs by Traffic and is a lot of fun to play on the guitar!)
Banco – Nice handling of the Bank Night plot. Cavaet here is that special bills are used which you may have to find on Ebay. Worth the effort though.
Depth Charge – Spectator cuts deck then cuts off packet of cards. While the magician’s back is turned she counts the number of cards in the packet. Magician shuffles remaining cards and second spectator calls stop. Packet is put aside and procedure done a second time. Magician shows two cards stopped at and says to make up a card using one of the cards as a value and the other one as the suit. The deck is reassembled. The number previously chosen by the first spectator is counted down to in the deck and is found to match the card created by the second.
Lost in Translation – This is great because you get to use three spectators. Magician shuffles deck and has one of the spectators cut the deck. The next three cards are passed out. A sheet listing all of the cards in the deck is shown. Next to each card is listed a word. The magician not only tells each one what her word is but shows a printed prediction of which words would be chosen. This effect is endlessly customizable so you can base it on your audience or client. It would have been nice to have a pdf on the deck or as a download that you could do the basic effect with but it will not be a backbreaker to make up your own.
View to a Skill – A lot of magicians list Paul Curry’s Out of This World as the best card trick ever but I have another nominee. Stewart James’ Miraskill. Even when you know exactly how it works, it still seems impossible. Plus, you can use a borrowed deck with no setup and your volunteer can do all the work. One problem has always been removing cards and adding them back to the pack. I have my own method which has always worked for me but John has added a subtlety here which eliminates that. Nothing is added or removed. My only question is Why didn’t I think of that? This is one you will start doing tonight.
Go-Figuration – Spectator shuffles and the magician removes a prediction card. Spectator cuts deck then buries the top card and the bottom card in the deck. The top card that is left is put aside. The spectator deals to the table stopping wherever she would like then shuffles and repeats procedure stopping when she wants. These cards are shuffled into two piles and she takes her free choice of the piles. A procedure which leaves only one card of her pile is utilized then the unchosen pile is turned face up. The card on the face matches all three of the other selected cards. Nice use of Allan Ackerman’s Probability Cull.
Triplicity – A demonstration of ESP. A packet of cards is cut off the deck, counted and the number remembered. A packet of cards is removed from the balance of the deck and shown one by one. The card at that number is remembered. The cards are added back to the deck. The magician then not only names the card but gives its position in the deck. As a finale, a printed prediction is shown that names the selected card and its position.
Several Trickbag sections are included to make some of the procedures more clear. There are also some nice interview sections with John with the best one giving his take on the five things that aspiring card magicians should learn.
The whole Move Zero series has been a joy to review. The magic is powerful but easy and John is so darned clever. The magic is easy enough for a beginner but strong enough for a pro show. If you have bought a previous volume, you know what I am taking about and this is one well anticipated release. If you have not previously indulged, this is not only a great place to start but should whet your appetitive to own the entire set. I am not sure but it would not surprise me to see Big Blind Media sell the four volumes as a bundle.
This is probably redundant at this point but I give this (and the entire series) two big thumbs up. Highly, highly recommended.