Mentalism Teach-In

THE BLURB:
The fourteenth in the series that is repected as the most
professional Teach-In's in the art of magic. in this dvd you
will recieve lessons in mentalism from magicians such as
T.A. Waters, Larry Becker, Finn Jon, Colombini, and Joe
Stevens.

MY COMMENTS:
I do so love the magical thinking of Finn Jon and Aldo
Colombini, but, um. . . . mentalism? They certainly aren't
the first performers that come to mind in that area. And
Joe Stevens? It certainly is fascinating to see old
mentalism props that no professional mentalist would ever
use today. And teaching Mental Epic and Psychic Spirit
Slates? The first is usually not found in serious
mentalists' acts (at least, versions using the prop). The
latter is borderline mentalism and mostly in the category
of psychic entertainment (which some may consider to be
mentalism, anyway -- I don't, though).

As to Aldo Colombini, he presents Real Danger and Wichita
Deal. I certainly like Real Danger (I've commented on the
marketed version on my site) and the latter isn't a bad bank
night variation. Larry Becker presents Mind Probe, a dollar
bill serial number effect. T.A. Waters presents Adam Smyth
(an effect with numbered cards) and the Crimson Count. Finn
Jonn contributes Fishing Your Thoughts and Pick Up Any
Object.

Although there is some good material here, aside from Joe
Stevens contributions, I don't recognize anything as new or
exclusive to this disc. This is not a disc I'd recommend
for beginners as it doesn't really discuss how to perform
mentalism. It just presents a few effects. Richard
Osterlind's Easy to Master Mind Miracles is much better for
this and, like this DVD, does discuss the classics of
mentalism.

Despite the fact that this disc has little to offer the
experienced mentalist, and that the price seems a bit high
for what it is in comparison to others, there's nothing
inherently wrong with this disc. The quality, audio, and
video are mostly good. The material presented is certainly
solid stuff. So, if you're interested in the above effects,
then you certainly will get what you expect.