Hi Chris.
thanks for the comments. The mints are available on ebay. There are somtimes UK suppliers on therebut I have found the US company get them here within a few days.

Hey Matthew,

Your old friend Rob Murray here. Michael Henry and I just found this DVD on the web. I just ordered my copy, which I hope to be waiting for me when I arrive back home in NJ. Way to go, chap! I'm glad to see that you released the listerine strip effect - I'm looking forward to seeing it again, as it's been about six years since I saw it last.

Keep up the good work. You continue to be an inspiration to the rest of what remains from the original Seven (basically me, Mike, John and Rich).

Cheers,
Rob

Old home week!

Hey Matt and Rob!!!

I'm still here, just lazy is all.

Anyway, nice job of the dvd Matt. I ordered mine before Rob, but got it later. I hate the mail around here. I like it a lot. Just fyi, I stole your opening line for Mint. Sorry. Well. . . not really, it's a good line. Maybe I told you that last time I saw you. Chicago?

We should do a reunion show. Charlottesville? April? Anyone in?

Mark

I am honoured to call Matt a friend - His magic, skill and knowledge are top notch. If you haven't got this DVD yet, pick it up. It's a master-class in, originality, great thought into presentation and details and stunning entertaining magic. Quite frankly, it's far too cheap.

Good to hear from everyone. Thanks for all your comments- it is much appreciated. It seems however that most of the people who have posted on here I know personally and that perhaps looks a little biased so here's the deal-
I am confident enough about the quality and originality of the effects on this DVD that I will give three free copies to any Café members who I have never met (or do not know personally) so long as they have 500 posts or more and they promise to give an honest review.

***! How annoying is that! I bought this DVD a few weeks ago, would have loved a free copy for review.

Never mind - here is my honest review. Excellent. The routines are clever, the presentations and themes are immediately engaging to the spectators, and matthew is a very very funny guy, and clearly loves what he does.

So what will you take from the dvd? From my personal point of view, the thing I have taken from it (and after only two viewings) is the presentational aspect, and cunning use of technique. The techniques used and required range from self working to advanced, but his choice is always spot on and in complete context with the routine and theme.

I wont do a breakdown of the effects, as this can be found by doing a search yourselves, but, and I am in no way associated with Matthew, every single effect is a winner. To coin a phrase, its a matter of choosing which one to begin with that is the hard part.

Excellent DVD.
Excellent value.
Excellent material.

I've been into magic for about 4 years now and I first saw Matt perform 3 years ago at a works Christmas do. P17 of Strong Magic by Darwin Ortiz states 'Witnessing a close-up magic performance can be an experience so memorable that the spectator will literally remember it for the rest of his life', I not only remember the performance that night but I would go so far to say that it changed my life and has become the heartbeat of everything I do related to magic. Given that at the time I was pretty much a lay person this performance had such a profound effect on me that I had to write a review the next day just to get the excitement out of my system (see http://www.magicbunny.co.uk/phpBB3/viewt......&t=32315 ).

Matthew performs to entertain lay people and not just magicians and this DVD will give you 6 fantastic and practical routines that will amaze lay people. Some of the stuff you may have seen before, some of it you won't have but I think it is all the little nuances that make this a great DVD. Things like iSight where you read a spectators mind by showing them a fan of cards and ask them to pick one, or the little things like him making a joke about why he blows on a card is really an intransit action to set up a colour change. The effects that Matthew performed that night that amazed me included Mullica’s Nightmare, Mint and The Big Finish Card Trick and these are all on the DVD. I can tell you personal experience from a lay persons point of view they are amazing. If your intention is to learn some great routines and perform fantastic magic to lay people then this DVD is for you. If you want to learn to center deal whilst bouncing on a trampoline with a gas mask on then you might be better looking elsewhere. Saying that though he does teach a ridiculous one handed FALSE riffle shuffle that might please you though it has nothing to do with the routines(phew). A word of warning, if you skim the material you won't get the benefit out of it. You need to study it to get the benefit, but that goes for every book / DVD.

I have bumped into Matthew now and again since so that means that this 'review' if you want to call it that is slightly tainted. But I can truely say that I feel blessed that I witnessed his magic as a lay person and this DVD is an opportunity for magicians to make other lay people feel the same.

Wow, Thanks for those comments guys- Dave I'm afraid that you definately qualify as a friend so that review is biased. See you in Blackpool buddy!

As for the offer of the freebie. I have had a lot of response and the people who are getting the DVD have been notified. Sorry to those who didn'tget one but I let my girlfriend choose who got them so don't blame me!
Hopefully the honest reviews that come in may be enough encouragement for you to buy them. Cheers again- let the fun commence!

That might be true now Matt, but at the time I didn't know you from Adam and I was blown away by these tricks

I don’t know Matthew Wright, but I did get a free copy. Fear not potential purchaser, I will, as asked, try to give constructive ‘cons’ as well as ‘pros’…

Production values: Russ Stevens - enough said. Like BBM, RSVP stuff (this item produced by Alakazam) is top notch. Live performances in a bar - excellent to see.

Explanations & Sleights: Explanations are clear, logical and detailed (and amusing in places). Mark Elsdon genuinely compliments the explanations with decent prompting and recapping – not just a person blathering on in front of camera. Some sleights used are not taught, such as the double lift and classic force, where as specific sleights such as the multiple shift, the ‘under fire top change’, and the I-sight are taught in detail.

Crediting: Some crediting during the presentation, full crediting on the DVD.

Skill level: From easy to hard, some sleights could easily be adapted / modified.

My ‘Big Point!’: Take a moment to read some of the many glowing positive reviews of Bill Abbott’s ‘5 Card Opener’. Go on. Are you back? Right then, IMHO, the 5 Card Opener really does live up to (and exceed) the hype, because the routine is so strong, it conditions the audience, and it has a logical finish. It is not just another six card repeat - so what is my point?
Matthew has obviously got excellent presentation skills and ‘chops’, but check out his routine construction – effects that really build, audience conditioning, big climaxes, and excellent scripting – not just meaningless patter .

The routines:
Calzaghe’s Opener –
A multi phase effect that builds – see how the audience are won over and then blown away in just a couple of minutes. The ‘I-sight’ technique may take a fair bit of work, but you could leave / modify this phase. I will definitely use this.
Final Destination –
I am not much of a coin guy, but I am learning. I am not a fan of 3-fly (to be fair, I have not watched that many variations). This is so strong, a story that is funny, has a hook – and that ending… I will definitely not use this now, but would love to in the future.
Mental Mullica –
What a great parlour (stage even?) or close up effect. A gaff deck effect, with great routining (again). Comedy, wow factor, not hard to do, requires a Mullica wallet. I will hopefully use this in two weeks time in an after dinner show.
Mint –
Gaff deck effect, looks really good. I may get around to doing this, but pocket space is at a premium…(I do mostly walk around / strolling)
Mullica’s Nightmare –
If this is just another ACR, Cerebus (three headed hell dog) is just a grumpy pooch. Like ACR, you could adapt it to fit your own style. I will definitely play with this.
Big Finish Card Trick –
Multiple selection routine. Many good bits, not for the frail (as Matthew performs it). Solid audience conditioning again. I will use some bits of this in my own multi-selection routine (when I eventually get it sorted!),

OK, the ‘cons’:
Of five card effects, two use gaff decks & additional props. Two others use additional props (normal deck).
Final destination not really a table hopper’s routine.
Some sleights not taught, skill level in places may be ‘challenging’.
Some humour & card in mouth bits not suitable for all venues / gigs / people.

The ‘pros’:
Excellent routine construction, scripting, and audience conditioning. E.g. the patter that helps to build to the climax in ‘Calzaghe’s Opener’.
A DVD that is as entertaining (performance wise) as ‘Scripted Insanity’ or ‘Supercharged Classics’
Some truly different, stunning routines, which even if you do not use; surely most will pick up some valuable bits & pieces from.
Many tips & bit of business throughout the course of the DVD.
Look, it's just one of the best DVDs I own, for many reasons!

Final thoughts –
This is not a disc full of table hopping FASDIU gold, underground ‘street’ training (!), or material that you can use within 5 minutes of watching. What you have here is a collection of finely crafted and routined effects that are top notch. If I did not use any of the material, the DVD would still give value (seeing effective performance / scripting / construction of effects). As it is, I’ll use one, try a couple of others, and maybe one day – Final Destination! Highly recommended, excellent value – go on, try it!

PS I don’t know Matthew Wright, but after this, I’d buy him a pint for sure!

Charlie

Charlie,

When you buy him that pint you'd better hope he has his ID on him. He got carded in Vegas one time and . . . well. . . it wasn't pretty.

Mark

LOL! Perhaps you could leak a bit of the story (with a touch of exageration of course!!)

I also received a review copy of this DVD from Matt. I do not know Matt or have ever met him and I will try and give fair and objective review.

I won't give you all the blurb again here but you can check the ad copy at Alakazam:
http://www.alakazam.co.uk/alakazam-magic......=unusual

Well I really enjoyed this DVD. There are 6 routines on the DVD in total. Here is my review of each effect:

Calzaghe's Opener – A great opening trick with lots of magic. If magic were like boxing then this is the flurry of punches you see in the first round! There is a lot happening and the magical climaxes keep on coming one after the other. This routine is great for bar/restaurant work as the magic is quick and punchy and will keep your audience on their toes. The whole routine is a mixture of many different effects melded into one mini routine.

Mental Mullica – The first of 2 card tricks that uses a Mullica Wallet. I really enjoyed this routine. It is a fun prediction trick wrapped up in a nice gambling presentation. You bet the £20 in your wallet that you know what card will be chosen. Essentially you deal through a deck of blue blacked cards and the spectator stops you whenever he wants. The cards are dealt face up and he can change his mind if he wants. When you open your wallet there is a red-backed duplicate of the card chosen paperclipped to a £20 note. The presentation is really nice here and you make the spectator look good rather than make it adversarial. On the downside this does use a gimmicked deck but it is well worth making up as this is a real gem of a routine.

Mullica's Nightmare – The other trick that uses a Mullica Wallet. This is a rather unusual adaptation of the Ambitious Card which is really fun and actually makes sense! The basic premise is that you had a nightmare about being attacked by a particular playing card. The spectator chooses that same card and in number of humorous ways the card keeps on making an appearance even though you try restarting the trick with a different card. This is a really funny routine and made me laugh out loud Now ask yourself when was the last time an ACR made you laugh? Yup thought so,it's been awhile! I loved this trick and it is a perfect middle trick, but more on that later!


Mint – A version of Derren Brown's Smoke that uses a small plastic mint packet instead of a cigarette. This is absolutely amazing, if you already knew how Smoke works like I did then you will be kicking yourself for not realising how easily it can be adapted into a workable routine now that smoking is not allowed in most indoor public places. For those that don't know the routine you spread the deck and have one card merely looked at and remembered. This card is then shown to be missing from the deck and the mint packet that has been on the table since the beginning is shown to contain the missing card! Again this trick does use a gimmicked deck and needs a little bit of prep. However once this prep is done you are set to go over an over again.

Final Destination – A 3 Fly routine where the last coin literally floats across from hand to hand. This is a real performance piece and is obviously Matt's signature routine, and has won him some magic competitions. Whilst this is not the most practical trick for walk around it is still great to see it explained in detail as this is amazing to watch.

The Big Finish Card Trick – A multiple selection routine combining elements from lots of different sources into a fantastic closing routine. You will see a long distance spinner with the card caught back in the deck, a version of Phoenix Aces, a repeat card to box where the second card appears in the box culminating in a card from mouth. This is another great routine and it is really modular so if there is a move or phase you don't like you can always add in your own favourite and the make the effect your own.

I-sight – This is a move taught in detail on the DVD. It is a control where you can tell what card is being looked at from a spread of cards and mentally chosen by the spectator. It is similar to the classic force in that you may not hit 100% of the time but it is a great idea and if you cannot do it yet you can replace it with a move you are more comfortable with.


The Teaching:

It is clear and concise. The basic moves aren't explained but any specific moves are explained such as the multiple shift, i-sight and the top change. The explanations are sometimes fairly brief but that is fine with me as I don't want to watch the same thing repeated verbatim a hundred times. If you can't do a move such as a classic force it can easily be substituted for your own personal favourite without affecting the rest of the effect too much. This is the same for most of the effects. For the i-sight explanation you get an over the shoulder camera angle and there is also a bonus section that has about 10 performances out on the street so you can see this used under fire which is great to watch and see Matt do a bit of Jazz Magic when he misses with one spec!

The Pros:

The really big thing this DVD has going for it is the scripting and presentation. Every effect is well thought out in terms of plot and script. There is no boring commentary as you just describe what you are doing, and for me this makes the DVD really special. Matt really connects with his audience and each effect really comes to life. His use of wording is great too. One example is in his Mullica's Nightmare he starts off by giving the spec his wallet and gives them a little moniker to remember along the lines of “Keep it safe, keep it separate”. Later on in the routine the wallet is brought out and the moniker is repeated again and Matt swaps the wallet for the deck. This is obviously the moment when the move occurs but the scripting is so tight that the spec will swear that the cards never came near the wallet, ever! It is these little asides and lines in the effects that really helps. In his Calzaghe's Opener he keeps on saying “that's not the best bit” and he uses this to build the routine up and up after each phase. I learnt more from watching the performances than from the explanation sections of the DVD. All the effects have fully fleshed out presentations.

Also there is a nice mix of effects here. Whilst ony 6 effects are shown you are essentially getting an opening routine, 1 really good middle trick, 3 tricks that could easily be used as closers and one signature trick. Not bad really!

Some good extra performances from Illusions Magic Bar in Bristol

The Cons:

The crediting. Some is done on the explanations but the bulk of it is flashed up in the credits. Whilst this is great each effect just has a list of names after it but no reference to the actual source material. So if I really liked a particular move or sequence I may not know which book or DVD it is in or even which of the listed names it is credited to. Not a big thing but when I like a routine I like to hear where that performer got his inspiration from as this is often how I decide what books or DVD to buy.

Overall:

I really liked this DVD and I know I will be coming back to it again to help sharper up my own routines.

9/10

ps...i'll get the 2nd round of pints in for you mate!

Feedback time.
I did a show for a private party in a restaurant last night, and used the 'Mental Mullica' routine. It was my first 'real world' performance of the effect (after much practice etc), and it went over really well, involving all the audience ("should he change the card?".. "should he gamble?".. etc).
I'll be using this again in my set this coming week.
Charlie

That's more like it!
It's great that you guys enjoyed the DVD and have found something of use in them. I'll be at Blackpool if you fancy making good on that promise of a pint!!!

Although most of the tricks are a little beyond my skill level I found the DVD to be an absolute inspiration of just what can be achieved with a little practice. Very enjoyable to watch even if you have no intention of performing the material.

I think that Andi is missing the point. Perhaps the same material is being shown. It's the performance skills that are brilliant. Things change , we move with the times, learn to keep up with with today's expectations by the spectators. Learn from this DVD.

My review of The Unusual Suspect DVD by Matthew Wright

Firstly this is such a "workers" DVD, every effect can be winner for the working performer.
No pipe dreams! as Mark Elsdon says in the introduction.........
Calzaghe's Opener is a great opening card effect that will have your audiences excited and interested for whatever else you have to show them.
Matthew uses a great running "catchphrase" which helps build to the great climax.
There are also some great tips in the explanation part of the DVD, where Matthew even tips how to use moments during the effect to bring more traffic to your website, and even how to personalize this for trade show giveaways!!
Final Destination is the part of Matthew's award winning act that got everybody talking!
If you want a three fly with great patter (again!), and a solution to the last coin that will keep them talking for months, then this is for you!
Mental Mullica uses a gaff very subtlety and no forces, along with some more great presentation and routining .
Use this to win some money, or just blow them out of the water! They will really think that you can predict the future after you numb their brains with this one...
Now go and get that Mullica Wallet out of the drawer!
Mint is a great take on Derren's effect, and seeing that no one smokes indoors these days, I am sure this is the effect that many professional close up workers will be adding to their repertoires. Using just a thought of card with a revelation and appearance of a card in a mint packet that's been in full view the whole time. More fantastic thinking and routing from Matthew!
Mullica's Nightmare is a great way to present the classic ambitious card. But it's more than just that, no real new moves but the running patter / gag will fry them at the end. Another excellent magician, Gary Jones performs the ambitious card with a similar idea of the card being "out of control" on its own and not controlled by the magician. Gary's routining is amazing and slays laymen all the time, and Matthew's routine will do just the same.
So much more than "if I click my fingers the card jumps to the top"
The Big Finish Card Trick has helped me along massively with my multiple selection routine.
I have been trying to get a routine down for 6-7 selections for a while now.
Matthew has a nice way of controlling the selections, and also some great revelations which flow together so well. Its almost a shame when the last card is revealed from his mouth (great face by the way!!) as I just wanted to watch more and more...
I have already been using some ideas from Super Charged Classics Vol 2 by Mark James to start me off.
So now, with Matthew's routine and a few of my own ideas I think I'm there at last!

Of course, you can do just a Matthew does to reveal 10 selections and you will be sure to get everyone involved and blown away!

The thing that I noticed during this DVD, is that Matthew has such a great and natural way of engaging the spectators, amusing them with some nice one liners and gags, then completely flooring them with such strong magic!.
At the beginning of this review I mentioned this being a "workers" DVD.
This term has been tagged to a few DVD's on the market but I guarantee that there will be something for everyone here, with many working professionals adding these effects and presentations to their repertoires instantly.
Matthew goes into so much more than just explaining the effects. He constantly shares little subtleties, tips, gags and points that you can use to really raise these effects to the maximum.
Live performances expertly shot and edited by Russ Stevens make it a pleasure to watch even without the explanations!!
I can't recommend the DVD highly enough.
Thank you Matthew for sharing this with the magic world, and please don't make it your last offering!!
Matt Wainwright

http://www.mattwainwright.com

Thanks for the review Matt- I'm glad you enjoyed it. For those of you who have bought the DVD- as you know the set up for the floating coin is built into my box and I recommended that this makes the effect best suited for Parlour or stage. Well on Saturday I had a flash of inspiration before a strolling gig and have worked out a simple hook-up that means the float can now be easily set up from the pocket and can be performed table to table.
For anyone interested come and see me at Blackpool or if you cant get there PM me.I have a feeling it will be much easier to show you than to write a description though!
Thanks,
Matt

Ok matthew, will do.......
would be nice to see you run through that multiple shift you use for 7-10 cards
just try and show me before I've had 7-10 beers