Price$25.00
Media TypeDVD
CategoryClose Up
Date AddedMar 22, 2011
The Skip Switch
Mealing, Ollie
Big Blind Media - Owen Packard
(Based on 1 review)
- Peter Duffie
"With sleight of hand, the lesser the action, the greater the deception. With that in mind Ollie Mealing's 'Skip Switch' must be one of the most deceptive sleights of all time! Literally, NOTHING happens and yet the card is switched! It'll hit you like a ton of bricks!"
- Dave Forrest
Ollie Mealing's Skip Switch is a true utility move. A selection is cleanly sandwiched between two cards and LEFT OUTJOGGED from the centre of the deck. In full view the three card packet is removed from the deck... and in that split second, the selection has been swapped for another card!
Once you have learnt the diabolical secret you can perform the Skip Switch anytime, anywhere and with any deck. No gaffs, no insane finger flicking difficulty.
But this DVD is not just the in-depth teaching of a new move. Nope - it's cram packed with Ollie's crowd pleasing routines. Eleven (count 'em) barn storming miracles with a deck of cards.
- Edit The Equation
- In Hindsight
- Thirteen
- Hyenas
- Optomistic Mix
- Home Skip Home
- Defence
- Foolish Tourist
- Special Delivery
- Mirage
- Palmers Revenge
Running Time Approximately: 1hr 3min
Reviews
(Top ▲)
The Skip Switch (5 stars)
The first thing we're taught is the move itself. It's taught extremely well and it's a very powerful switch, if you have a use for it. The first effect we're shown is an excellent use for it, but that's about where it stops. After seeing that this was a BBM production, I was excited. Then after learning the Switch, I was even more excited. Then after seeing the first effect using the move, I was even further excited. Then . . . well . . . from there, it just went all pear shaped as they say.
Edit The Equation (4.5 stars)
This is, to my mind, the best effect on the DVD. It's a really simple plot and logical and easy to follow. Don't get used to it, however. It's the only effect on the DVD that is logical and easy to follow.
In Hindsight (2 stars)
This routine, like pretty much all of the rest of the routines is confusing to follow, not a clear plot and uses too many cards. It would take a pretty lengthy paragraph to explain what the effect is.
Thirteen (3.5 stars)
This effect is the second best on the DVD, but only because of a really cool visual moment that has application elsewhere, but alas, like the majority of this material, it has overly contrived handling and bunch of extra cards that just add to the lack of clarity.
Hyenas (1 star)
No magic happens forever . . . hard to follow and confusing plot . . . just not a clear effect. Although I will say that this has a clever application of Bill Simon's Business Card Prophecy move that could be applied in other routines.
Optimistic Mix (2 stars)
Way too much is going on here. Things are cluttered, and because of the awkwardness of the handling required, the required bottom deal needed is very NOT deceptive at all.
Home Skip Home (1 stars)
Too much procedure and "random cards" . . . too much to follow and not a clean/clear effect. Ends with a kicker that makes the routine worse, not better.
Defence (1.5 stars)
Again, more confusing back and forth meaningless procedure that just doesn't feel like magic, sleight of hand or even entertainment.
Foolish Tourist (2 stars)
Not very magical . . . confusing transposition that is over handled.
Special Delivery (1 stars)
I'm not sure what it is about this DVD, but this is just more of the same. Over handled, busy, not very clear "effects."
Mirage (2 stars)
Has one nice visual moment, but . . . more of the same back and forth meaninglessness.
Palmers Revenge (2.5 stars)
This one's a little better than the previous ones, but it's pretty much the same old stuff.
There seems to be a constant theme in all of these tricks . . . it goes like this: let's get some random cards and put them over here, and your card over there . . . oh your card is really over there, and over here is this other card . . . or over here is this other random card . . .
Mealing's attempt to be smooth and flashy with the cards ultimately made things so much more confusing. Most of the routines were very hard to follow and extremely unclear. And seriously, ever single time he displayed a card between two other cards (i.e. every routine), he has the annoying habit of flicking the card every time!
Many of his gestures seem like he was sort of attempting to be showy or clever or cool . . . all they did was annoy and confuse. Just about every routine was extremely over handled and way too contrived. As The Oracle from The Matrix would say, "I hate giving bad news to good people."
Clearly Ollie Mealing is a nice guy. A smart guy, and a clever guy. But this is one of those cases of over thinking. In my opinion, a compilation DVD of several mixed effects that included one or two effects using The Skip Switch would have been much more bang for your buck (assuming the other effects on this imaginary DVD were good).
If you average all of the effects together, you get a 2.33 star rating.
Bottom line, you get one really good routine and the needed move to perform the routine for $25.00. Personally I don't think the routine and move is worth the cost. So . . .
As much as it pains me to give bad news to good people, Final Verdict: 2.5 stars with a Stone Status of Grubble (mostly, mostly, mostly, mostly, mostly rubble, but a teeny bit of gem . . . with a little g).