Once you learn the “Elmsley Count” or the secret behind “Cold Reading,” the innocence is gone. I watched a street magician on vacation do the “Cups and Balls” routine. A year ago, I would have applauded. Last week, I leaned to my wife and whispered, “He’s using a gimmicked final load and a misdirection sweep on the right.” She asked for a divorce. (Not really, but she was annoyed.)
The Ultimate Magic Video Collection is a paradox. It’s a masterclass in deception that feels painfully honest. For $59.99, you get roughly 12 hours of content that will make you the life of every party for exactly 20 minutes (until you forget the patter) and a suspicious, untrusting soul for the rest of your life. Ultimate Magic Video Collection
The set also drags slightly in Disc 4, which is dedicated entirely to “Mentalism.” Watching ten different men in black turtlenecks guess your number is tedious if you’re not a hardcore enthusiast. Once you learn the “Elmsley Count” or the
Let’s be honest. We’ve all been burned by “magic” before. You buy a DVD set expecting David Copperfield making the Statue of Liberty disappear, and instead you get Uncle Jerry from accounting explaining, in agonizing detail, how to force a card using “The Hummer Shuffle” while his cat walks across the table. Last week, I leaned to my wife and
The Ultimate Magic Video Collection is not that. In fact, watching this set feels less like a tutorial and more like accidentally finding Houdini’s lost Netflix password.
You’ll Believe Your TV Is Haunted (In a Good Way)
★★★★☆ (4/5) Loses one star because I now know my cat isn’t psychic; he just hears the treat bag from three rooms away.