First off, let me say this DVD is a grand slam winner and you’ll see why below.
You can order direct from Jay and see a trailer on his site:
http://www.sankeymagic.com/detail.aspx?ID=48180

I’ve been doing the Ambitious Card for more than 20 years. I’ve added and dropped phases, patter, anything to improve it. I’ve been pleased with its evolution for me and I’ve had it right where I wanted for a good while.

I love watching others perform it. I’m open to changing something of mine if they have a great idea. But mostly, when a DVD comes out that has an ACR I’ll get it for that. I love the plot and like to see others perform it.

So, Jay released his DVD and I of course wanted to see Jay’s work on it. I never expected, as much as I love Jay’s work, to get the amount of ideas that I’m going to use in my own routine.

There are classic moves, but also allot of underground stuff and original handlings right from Jay. You could be doing the Ambitious Card for 25 years and find things you’ve never seen before (that you’ll use).

The DVD is broken down into sections.

ESSENTIAL SLEIGHTS covers double lifts, top changes, etc. And a palm by Rudy Hunter that is one of the most deceptive, killer palms I’ve ever seen. Rudy taught this to Jay 30 years ago and it’s beautiful.

OPENERS covers, openers of course. Jay shows the way he opens and offer lots of ideas to get folks started.

MIDDLERS covers ideas to use in the middle of the routine. These are very strong. 2 stand out for me.

Something called IMPOSTERS that kills. I say that because I’ve performed it. Their eyes get big and round because they are seeing the impossible.

CLOSERS covers many ideas on how to end your routine. And many of these and they are incredible. Here’s a couple that I have tried out and they go over big time.

THROUGH THE ROOF the card is placed into the deck, the deck is placed into the card box and BAM it comes through the box. The box is not gimmicked as it’s all sleight of hand and rather simple. KILLER.

LEATHER BOUND has the card placed in the the deck, you take out your wallet and open it and the card is in the wallet. Now, the wallet isn’t gimmicked. It’s an optical illusion but it looks beautiful ( Jay shows it on the trailer ) and you’re reset.

And if that wasn’t enough, Jay gives detailed instruction on different five passes. The camera is right on his hands. For guys that want to learn the classic pass, you see the proper angle ( instead of the camera directly in front which shows you nothing.

If you don’t do the pass, this will get you working on it and learning it the right way. Jay’s is known for having one of the best passes out there. He’s given tips in the past, but this is detailed and up close.

I don’t know if I did justice in reviewing this. It’s one of the best DVD’s I’ve ever had. There’s 2 hrs. of detailed instruction and some killer moves ( I know, I used killer allot in this review and believe me, this DVD warrants it )

Chris,

sounds great. It also sounds as if there are ideas in there that can be used in other effects.

Just a quick question, I know that I have seen the Through the Roof move in another Sankey DVD, but I can't remember where. Does anyone know? .. I might have to go back through all of my Sankey DVDs to find it. My gutt feeling is that it is in Sankey 1999 somewhere but I am not sure.

Any help on that would be greatly appreciated. However, it isn't critical as I I will buy this DVD anyway.


Todd

Todd, I don't recall seeing Through The Roof on another DVD or video. Anyone?

I've already performed it and it has that surprise element that a color change does.

Also, I LOVE the pop up move that ends most ACR ( I "think" it's in Expert Card Technique ). But, you do have to bend an extra card and if you do this routine through out the night, it's not practical.

Through The Roof is just as strong. It looks like that card has come through all the other cards and through the box.

Daryl's Ambitious Card Omnibus ( written up by Stephen Minch ) and Daryl's DVD are the gold standard. I didn't think an entire DVD devoted to the subject could add that much more and was surprised at some of the moves on Jay's DVD that I had not seen or heard of before. And not just interesting versions of other moves.

If you love the ACR plot, Jay's DVD is worthy of your consideration. Get it just for the work on the pass if that's an interest of yours.

As I was pretty sure I had seen it before, I went back to 1999 and went through each video. I did find "Through the Roof" on Sankey 1999 but at that point he called it "Up and Out". I really like that move, especially as at least at that time, the visual for the spectator's point of view is that the signed card is pushed into the deck while the deck is in the box.

As for my favorite closer to the ACR, I still prefer paperclipped. There is nothing quite like the card sitting on the table or in the spectators hand for the entire routine, protected by just a paper clip and then you pull that paperclip off and it is their signed card. Talk about a freakfest. It is just so clean and impossible. It is one of my favorite effects as it seems so visually fair that it is one of those effects that even when I see someone else do it, it looks like real magic to me.

Thanks for the review. I should be receiving mine within the next 2 days or so! =) I like the ACR a lot, and with the bonus on the pass I'm sure this would be good! =)

Is the changing of the ace of spades to the two of hearts in the promo video called the paint brush change?

I'm watching this again today. I love to go back to favorite DVD's as you can always get something new ( admittedly, I'm an Ambitious Card nut ).

Is this worth getting chris as got daryls ACR dvd but not really watched it yet

really want to add a ACR routine into my working list, can do a lot of moves but not a proper full routine

may get it for the pass's alone

Well, I'm all for getting as much information on an effect that I use in my set.

I think knowing Vernon's routine from Stars Of Magic is important. He also discussed it on the Revelations video/dvd.

Tommy Wonders routine is also important. ( on his L&L video/dvd ).

I think Jay did an incredible job on his dvd. I've been doing Ambitious Card for a long time and he had things on the dvd I'd never seen and added to my own routine, as I discussed above.

And his teaching the Classic Pass is fantastic because he brought the camera in close from the side and does it slowly over and over. You really see how it should be done, plus Jay offers some of his own touches to make it smoother.

I like the card to wallet, but it would be better if the card was copped out and loaded under the wallet instead of the wallet resting on the deck (the no-contact condition).

Even though I'm not a big fan of Sankey, this looks interesting.

In the context of the Sankey effect, placing the wallet on top of the deck makes total sense. It's an ambitious card ending. The idea of the effect is that the card rises up through the deck and then the wallet. It's different that a normal card to wallet ending. Although if you wanted to do that, you certainly could.

That's true Cameron. I didn't think about it that way (even though it now seems pretty obvoius). Considering it is an Ambitious Card Routine, it makes total sense.

Darwin Ortiz scams and fantasies with cards has interesting comment from Bernard Bilis that got me thinking my own routine few years back…

Bilis had supposedly said that ambitious card routines lack focus (Scams and fantasies p.156). Card goes to top few times, then to bottom, then reverses, to magicians pocket or mouth and so on. In most magicians routine, this is what usually happens. The audience is left wondering what was the effect?

This is the problem with this Sankey DVD. Its just move after move... I know it is supposed to be an encyclopedia type thing, but most of the moves still have nothing to do with AC. Card goes there and does this and that but what the hell was the effect?

Also Sankey at least implies that his routines are like 12-15 phases long. I guess the attention span is totally different, behind the big bond (Ocean), but anything over 6 phases gets way too repetive in real world, for real people in my opinion. The effect transforms more to "LOOK AT ME AND MY SKILL/YOU CANT CATCH ME STUPID" and it loses all the magical feelings it might have contained before.

In my opinion, everyone doing ambitious card in any form should RUN! and buy Tommy Wonder DVD vol.3. Then Gary Kurtz book “Leading with your head (p.30)” along with Juan Tamariz “The magic way (p.46)”.

In the first DVD and both of small booklets these masters go thru their ambitious card routines, but not only from the technical view, but also in psychological view.

Their routines aren't 12 phases long marathons where spectators end up yawning half way thru. They are short, to the point, not over complicated. They are full of small bits and pieces that are there just to fool the mind and create false solutions and cancel other possible solutions out. They feel magical, instead of displays of skill. There is lot to learn in all of the routines.

J-M

There are many that say you should not combine the Ambitious Card with another effect, such as Tommy Wonder does ( card to ring box ). They feel it lacks clarity, is confusing to the audience, etc.

What do you say to those critics?

It depends on the ending. In Wonders case the ending is connected to the routine by the way the box is introduced at the beginning of the routine. Everyone knows its there and they are aware of its presense. Its not like card to wallet or card to shoe or something that has no connect to the effect itself and just comes out of nowhere.

Of course it is also possible to motivate these sorts of non related endings with presentation if you chose to do so. Also by adding little time between the AC phase and card in the box phase for example, they can be seen even as totally different effects or the later one as sort of a prologue or encore. But for this to be truly effective, there should be distinctive ending in the original AC phase as well. By ending I mean that it should be clear to spectators that the effect is over. Wonder uses test condition phase on the table, many use Braue bend card. Both are strong enough endings even without the additions.

What I am trying to say is that the ending can be different from what happened previously, but there must still be clear connection between the routine and the ending. If not so, then it becomes confusing and it starts to lack the clarity.

J-M

Actually, the only thing that matters is if the audience is entertained. I've seen guys that insisted on a routine ( any routine ) being motivated, logical, on and on and they fell flat. And I've seen guys that are all over the map and the audience loved them.

Anyway, it's fun to talk about.

Jay has sale and Extremely Ambitious is on it.

http://www.sankeymagic.com/detail.aspx?ID=48180

I finally got off the fence and ordered this.
Looking forward to it.

I got mine

what I love is there is no routine, this is 1 of the effects were it pays to be different and jay has worked that in his favour.

now the hard bit, gotta choose an opener, 2 middles and a closer! will watch some acrs later and decide after, I love jonathan kamms routine although I don't think id perform like that, but the bit were he does it with 3 cards is top quality.

anyone want to say what moves from this dvd they use in there routines

think I'm gonna go with
Three Favorites opener
Erdnase/Houdini Change middle
(need another middle)
Through the Roof closer

but adding a few bits and bobs in between

need 1 more middler (is that a word?)

also the passes bonus is great but what annoyed me is that sankeys classic pass is amazing, j.kamm does his pass taught from sankeys classic pass, so I turn it on to see what I need to do to modify my own and its exactly the same as my own, gonna have to film mine to see, as from above it looks obvious to me, but never get caught which is the main thing!

anyways I gotta go work!!!