Jay Sankey’s Revolutionary Coin Magic 2.0 (MSRP: $40.00)
Are you a coin worker? Do you dabble in the art of coin magic? This DVD has a ton of great material. A lot of it is super knuckle-busting, and a lot of it is relatively simple. There are way too many effects and moves on the DVD to go through every single one of them. However, here are a few highlights.
The first highlight is the fact that there is so much stuff on the DVD that I can only give highlights. There are 11 routines taught, and 34 sleights/moves taught. Some of the moves and changes and switches look seriously like real magic. It’s tough to say what the best and/or worst effect/move on this DVD is.
Many of you will like one thing over another. I can tell you this, however, if you don’t find material on here that you can use and that you can actually do, then you should give up coin magic. It’s loaded with great material and is definitely worthy of a position in your reference library. It’s a bit pricey compared to the DVD market today, but I still have to give serious GEM status!
Donna Zuckerbrot’s Hypnotized (MSRP: $20.00)
If you don’t already know that I’m going to recommend this as a full-on GEM status, then you, my friend, have not spent enough of your life reading my reviews.
Anything from Donna Zuckerbrot goes. Her documentaries are top-notch. This one in particular was a lot of fun. You get interviews with hypnotists, and skeptics you also learn some interesting background information and history regarding hypnosis. Just get it. It’s only $20.00 bucks and it’s a great time. It’s worth it. GEM!
Dennis Schleussner’s Dice Stacking (MSRP: $25.00)
If you’ve ever wanted to learn dice stacking, this is a great resource. The DVD quality is a little on the B-side, and the host (not Dennis) is unbelievably annoying. While listening to the host, I began fantasizing and longing for that time I was trapped in a rubber room with no doors and windows while listening to Yoko Ono along with 71 dying cats scratching their nails down as many chalkboards.
Believe me. I had a lot more fun with those cats than I did with this host. However, if you can look past that – and it ain’t easy – then the rest of the DVD is excellent even with the dubbed over voices. The dice stacking is taught in a plain and simple manner. There are a lot of bonuses in the menu as well. However, much of the bonus material is a small variation of other items already taught on the DVD elsewhere.
Nevertheless, for someone who is wanting to get started in dice stacking, this is definitely worth getting. If you’re already a mid-level dice stacker, then there probably isn’t much worth watching for you. So assuming that you are new and want to learn dice stacking, this is a Gem.
Russell Leads’s Banding Around (MSRP: $30.00)
Rubber band magic is a beautiful thing when done properly. I’ve got a few rubber band effects in my repertoire, and they always get great responses because I can literally pick up two rubber bands and do some great magic that is simple and visual. It always plays well.
I just wish that I had more moves and tricks with Rubber Bands in my repertoire. I wish someone would put out a really good DVD about rubberband magic. If that ever happened, I would call it “Banding Around.” This DVD is all that and a bag of Pork Rinds (Yes . . . I said “Pork Rinds”).
Banding Around is loaded with great rubber band moves and effects. Some of the effects are basically coin plots that Mr. Leads has converted (quite well I might add) to rubber band effects. There are a few effects that are essentially rubble, but I’d say over 90% of the material is gem quality, and at least 50% of it is GEM quality. There were some parts that were filmed outside, and that was just annoying.The lighting and sound wasn’t as good as the rest.
Also, Craig Petty made an appearance in a good portion of the DVD. Pretty much all he did was plug his own products. Hey I can’t blame a guy for trying to move product, but it felt like he was stealing the spotlight from Leads. I will say, also, that much of the performance section was a bit dry and presentation-less.
The magic and effects were outstanding, but I would have liked to have seen a little more presentation and a lot less put-and-taking (I’ll take this rubber band here and I’ll put this there; now watch as I put this right here, etc . . . ). Taking the good with the bad, this DVD is worth owning in much the same way that Revolutionary Coin 2.0 is worth owning. It makes for a great reference source. GEM.
Please Take a Moment to Reply To and “like” These Reviews.
Just a reminder to everyone, Pork Rinds go wonderfully with Sweet Midgets.
Have to agree with each of your reviews this time out. But I didn’t get any pork rinds with my copy of Banding Around. I guess I should, therefore, pick up Dice Snacking.
@OZ – Pork Rinds and Sweet Midgets – The sign of a True Stone Cold Magic Fan.
@Chet – mmmmmmm . . . Diccccccccce
Low on carbs, if nothing else. And why didn’t my copy of Banding Around come with pork rinds? (And why is OZ hannibalectoring short people?)
@Chet – Your comment/question regarding Mr. Lecter is evidence that you are not a true follower of the Stone Cold Magic Cult. Next you’re gonna tell me that you don’t eat Spam Sandwiches when you watch my Stone Cold Magic DVD.
I report Spam to Kim Komando.
@Chet – I LOVE Kim Komando! Every Saturday at 4:00 on KNRS 105.7. However, you have still failed to prove your loyalty to the cult!
Depends on the cult. (i.e. – Cthulhu doesn’t save.)
I’ve heard that Rev coin magic 2.0 wasn’t as good and the prequel in terms of entertainment. When I first watched a Rev coin magic, I could not stop laughing, Jay was just going crazy.
I never looked into Donna Zuckerbrot until now. Was suprised how many doco’s she produced. Would like to watch them one day.
I much preferred Rev Coin 2.0; for one thing, there were no obscenities. For another, it plays in my DVD player. I had to return 1.0 for a refund, for both reasons.
There remains the possibility that the Penguin DVD was (ahem) not quite kosher.
Regarding Rev coin 1. vs. 2. -
Yes 1.0 was funnier by far, but as far as material, I think it’s a toss up.
@Chet – Rev Coin 1.0 is now on DVD, and is Obscenity free.
Okay, I’ve heard of stacking the deck but never stacking dice. My kids stack blocks but they don’t have any dots or pips like dice do.
Does a dice stacker stack them up and then push them down like my kids do with their blocks?
Wait. Maybe it is speed dice stacking. Like they do with the cups. Google, here I come to find out what dice stacking is. And don’t type S.T.A.L.K.I.N.G. cause dice don’t like to be stalked.
I always love reading your reviews Jeff.
I just finished watching a couple of vids on YouTube. Dice stacking is kind of like juggling with dice and a cup. Don’t know if my wife or kids would let me learn this art (or is it a sport)
Very interesting how the laws of physics play to make it work.
Here is a cool video of young Bill stacking 7×4 I love how he needs to stop and take a sip of his soda (or pop).
Dice Stacking
@Steven – The first time I saw dice stacking was from a 17 year old kid who used to work at a magic shop. He had combined the stacking with some cups and balls moves and some final loads . . . very cool!
That video is amazing, just the height of the stack is amazing to me, let alone how he did it. If I was going to try a new ‘art’ I think it would be contact juggling.
I tried contact juggling, but no one could see the contacts.
I learned dice stacking through trial & error quite a few years back, it really was quite fun. I stopped doing it not long after since I wasn’t able to get proper casino dice and a decent cup. My interest was sparked again after seeing De’vo do dice-stacking with cards…only if I could get some proper dice.
It’s a lot of fun to watch these guys. I’ m still thinking that the best application is to combine this with an effect.
In terms of an effect, I saw one video a few years back where he got someone to name a number between 1-6. He would then stack the dice and the number of the top die would be the named number. He repeated one more time, (then made some funny remark about how its harder to stack quarters) and lifted up the cup to reveal a huge stack of quarters on the table.
Seeing those quarters got me every time, haha.
@Mathias – very cool. The one I saw ended with huge jumbo dice under the cups.