As a Street Performer I was glad to finally get my DVD of The Rat Pack Trick/stunt I was looking for something new. It is a high standard DVD, but as far as this trick goes, it is a trick that I have been doing for some time. I was disappointed because I was expecting something different, a new twist to an obvious old stunt. I like to say it was worth my hard earned money but I cant, I cant believe you can say so much about this straight forward trick.
Don’t miss hear me, it is a great stunt but very straight forward and easy to do.
May be I should produce a DVD on the way to hammer a nail up my noise or some thing daft like that.
Or may be I am missing something, my money that is for sure!
With Respect
Mario

Thanks for the heads up on it Mario.

I was waiting to order it, but I guess I can pass on that as I already have enough magic.

BroDavid

I was one of the guys who previewed and reviewed the DVD. I would have a lot of trouble agreeing with Mario on this. Yes, it's a simple trick. But one reason it's simple is that Curtis has eliminated any possibility of damage you would have caused to yourself figuring out how to do it.

I would try it as a show piece. The natural buildup of this thing is perfect for a pitch.

Remember the part where he tells you about not trying to do it with two cards? That saved my thumbnail!

I'm scared to try it.

Bill as you know I highly respect your opinion on this point, I do agree with you in part "It is a great stunt". What I don’t see is simply my Money Worth of advice on this DVD. The Rat Pack could be a great one to discus on the Secret Session all at most one page on an A4 should cover it.
The truth is you can take ether the top or bottom card they are out of reach of the arm anyway. The pack of cards over hangs the trap. what you have got to be careful of, is not to put your hand to deep into it. This could be more dangerous and I am not advising any one that they should try it either (do so at your own risk) The Danger comes if one does it wrong.
With Respect.
Mario

Mario,
Over on your site, you advertise "The Most Dangerous Card Trick in the World" as part of your street show, and your close up photo shows a Beaver trap, NOT a rat trap.

I don't know what your gripe could be, since we carefully spelled out what was on the disc. If you actually already performed this as per our DVD, then why are you suprised with what you found, and what about the minideck ending?
Further, Curtis also discusses the various devices used over the years (i.e, Mousetraps, Beartraps, etc) and gives credit to these folks.

Mario Morris said; "The Danger comes if one does it wrong."

I agree and that's one of the reasons I produced this DVD, to provide good, solid information.
Curtis has performed this effect for many many years and is more then qualified to teach this effect to those wanting to learn.

Mario Morris said; "I was disappointed because I was expecting something different, a new twist to an obvious old stunt. I like to say it was worth my hard earned money but I cant, I cant believe you can say so much about this straight forward trick"

You are of course entitled to your own opinion. For a seasoned performer such as yourself, perhaps this disc is not up to your skill level?
However, I am confident that their are plenty of folks who can and will use the information we provide. Not everyone has the same skills or knowledge, that's what makes books and DVD's so attractive. It allows us to learn things we may not otherwise have known. For myself, most the typical magic books I see in retail stores like Barnes & Noble are not attractive to me because I know most the information they typically provide. But, many folks can benefit from them.

Mario Morris said; "Or may be I am missing something, my money that is for sure!"

If you feel cheated or ripped off, why not contact me? I would gladly give you a refund. Strange that you would prefer to complain on an open forum.
I saw a Café member looking to obtain a copy here:
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......tart=0#2

Mario Morris said; "May be I should produce a DVD on the way to hammer a nail up my noise or some thing daft like that"

I don't see why not, especially if you are able to teach folks the proper way too perform such a stunt.

Hi Steve
Yes I do both the Gin Trap and rat trap, not so much in my street shows theses days.

As far as my transaction is concerned It is a high standard DVD, by which I can not complain. I thought reading the promo materiel suggested that DVD covered a way to gimmick the trap I was incorrect. Instead it is a finish on a card tick, say ambitious card.

In my opinion if some one was a beginner all did not have the skill or knowledge, as you put it
I would suggest they learned to handle cards before they even looked at this, as Curtis point out.

On the other hand anyone that can handle a pack of cards can simply do this all it requires is common sense, as I taught my self. If they cant, then I do agree with you they should buy the DVD or ask someone that does this stunt already.

As a critic I posted feed back on a stunt more than the DVD. A stunt that I have done in different ways I believe this where this stunt should be discussed. Sorry if you found that strange. This not my reflections on you or Curtis or some gripe I have.

The truth as I see, it is a finish on a CARD TRICK. As for mini deck ending, great card trick!

Thanks for your offer of a refund, as I have already said. I think it is a high standard DVD, it is good for me to keep it as I can watch another performer do this stunt. From that perspective I can compare my self as a street performer to a restaurant worker as he presents him self. This is not the original reason I bought the DVD but it is good for a laugh. You have to laugh when he is in the restaurant and the trap does not go off, I hate it when that happens and it is good that you included it.

My entitled opinion as you put it this thread should have not been moved.
With Respect.
Mario

Mario Morris said; "Thanks for your offer of a refund, as I have already said. I think it is a high standard DVD, it is good for me to keep it as I can watch another performer do this stunt."

Fair enough Mario, I just want to insure my customers are happy with the products that The Magic Bakery produces.

Mario Morris said; "You have to laugh when he is in the restaurant and the trap does not go off, I hate it when that happens and it is good that you included it."

Indeed, we could have easily reshot this segment but I felt it important to show how a professional handles an effect when something goes wrong as it were.

Mario Morris said; "My entitled opinion as you put it this thread should have not been moved."

Actually, yes it should have. This is the review section, and your post is certainly a review. Although you originally posted in the street magic section, there is nothing in your comments that pertains specifically to the street, except your remarks that you have been using this on the street. Presumably, it is successful for you, since you continue to do so.

Also, thanks for sharing your thoughts with us and we certainly appreciate your participation here.

Thanks Steve
Mario

Just speaking to a buddy of mine Wed night who has started doing magic weekly at a bar owned by his son. I had recommended that he try Rat Pack as a "signature piece" (something folks will come back to see again and again, and bring friends).

He tried it, and loves it! (and yup, did get his fingers caught once or twice while practicing, but they are all still attached and working!)

As one who watched every minute of this DVD in order to put together a review which shows up elsewhere in the DVD section I have to say I disagree with Mr Morris.

The stunt may be easy but the price for a mistake is great enough that it's worthwhile to have as much information as possible before attempting it. Fire eating is also extremely easy when proper precautions are taken. However, I personally know two other fire eaters who ended up in the hospital. I've been fortunate enough to learn from their mistakes.

Despite having been hit by the bar Curtis continued to refine this effect. On the DVD he includes a wealth of information that allows the viewer to learn from his research and his mistakes. With this effect I certainly wouldn't want to learn that I made a mistake the hard way.

Finally, as I mentioned in my review, Curtis includes his way of approaching dangerous stunts. He touches on how he minimizes the danger while maximizing the effect. This is a valuable case study for anyone interested in working out a serious stunt for themselves since it's applicable to other effects.

Personally, I don't do stunts so I won't perform it. At the same time, I'd have a hard time saying that the information is trivial and useless because it is too basic. Curtis covered a few points that I wouldn't have thought of. Also, the effect with the mini deck is, in my opinion, brilliant and superior to the effect with a standard deck which makes it a perfect encore piece.

Perhaps to someone, like Mr Morris, who does stunts all the time there is nothing new, here. Welcome to the world of the knowledgeable magician. Unfortunately, there's never anything earth new anymore. It's just a new twist on information you already have in your library.

I'm sure it's easy to figure out a method from watching the performance but, personally, I wouldn't attempt it without watching every minute of the DVD. As I said earlier, the price for a mistake is too high.

Dave

Thank you to all the above and concerned.

In hearing your thoughts and perspectives on this stunt, I must admit their are many things that you have pointed out that I did not tack into consideration, sorry for my ignorance.

In the light of this, I do over all agree with you.

If your not sure then buy the DVD, the mini card trick is very good.

Mario
P.S
Steve the population of Beavers are a bit thing in the UK