Volume 2 of Hand Picked Astonishments By Paul Harris Presents . . . Forces

General Stuff

You'll be taught several card forces and in particular, several excellent handling points from some working pros. These are the things that make this DVD valuable for the pro. Overall, there were no production issues or annoyances to speak of.

Ad Copy

Two claims I take issue with: the claim that this is a modern day Tarbell and that these are the best effects possible is a bit subjective. The other thing is that it claims that "several" brand new effects are taught . . . it's more like "a few" and by "a few" I mean "one" . . . most of what you'll learn is "classic" stuff.

The Forces

The main bulk of the DVD is a break down of each force and an application or two for it along with handling pointers and tips.

This force can be very effective if done properly, and Joshua Jay correctly points out that it is often done wrong . . . then he proceeds to do it wrong. The biggest thing that's important with this force (as he points out) is that you do NOT want to draw any attention to the cut. Yet every time he performed the force, he made a point of saying, "We'll mark the place where you cut here."

That is the VERY thing that you should NOT do (i.e., draw attention to the cut). Further, he has this weird handling where he sets his phone on the deck and has them cut the deck while the phone is on the deck. It was weird and confusing. I actually tested this, and it just made things weird.

However . . . (a big fat "however"), he had some really good pointers and touches that Jon Armstrong and Tyler Erickson contributed that were very valuable. Also, he had a few different techniques for handling the necessary time lapse needed to perform this effect properly. My concern on this is that beginners will pick up a couple of bad habits right away. Hopefully they'll miss that and notice the other stuff from Armstrong and Erickson.

Again, Joshua Jay talks about how abused this method is by magicians. He then shows what he claims is a superior method. It clearly is not. In fact the method he teaches clearly reveals what's going on to the spectator and (at least the way he did it) won't fool anyone. Further, this is not a slip cut force, but rather an alternative to the slip cut force. What he should have done was show the proper way to do the slip cut force, but instead he bashed magicians in general for abusing it and did not show us the proper handling.

This is a force I've never really used, but will likely start working on it now after seeing it used on the DVD. Further, Garrett Thomas has some nice touches that Joshua Jay shares with us. This is a very convincing force.

This is one of the most convincing forces (other than a Classic force) that I've seen. It's a very little known force by Gary Ouellet. Joshua Jay added his own touches and modification to it as well. This is the section that the pros need to check out for sure.

The most commonly used force, and Joshua Jay shares a few decent handling points and ideas.

This is very good sneaky and clever force by Joshua Jay. Another section the pros will want to check out.

This was an uncredited and unconvincing force. I've seen others use it, but I'm just not convinced that it's convincing.

Not much time is spent here, but he does give a few pretty common pointers on how to practice it . . . definitely a beginner's "lesson."

The Effects

Below are the three main effects taught on the DVD. I was a bit bummed that some of the footage in the trailer of the effects performed was not shown or taught on the DVD. There are really only three effects taught on the DVD and two of them are not original (though they are credited). It just seems to go against the "several" brand new effects claim in the ad copy. From what I could tell there was only one brand new effect.

This is a great effect that makes use of a sneaky forcing method. It's simple and a poweful way to force a card.

From what I can tell, this is the only original effect on the DVD. It's a very interesting creation by Joshua Jay. It's a strange effect that's a little bit different from a typical card trick. It's an application of the swing cut force.

This is an adaptation of Matt Schulien's card in glass effect . . . a classic for sure. This is certainly a much easier handling, and a great way for a beginner to learn this trick. Though it's easier, you do sacrifice the ability for the card in play to be signed. It's always a give and take with these things.

Final Thoughts

There is definitely some good information in this DVD that pros will latch onto and use. However, there is also some (in my opinion) misinformation on this DVD that will be harmful to beginners. All in all, you'll likely either learn a force or two that you've not used in the past, or you'll learn a tip or two on an existing force you currently use. Also, you'll be exposed to a few good effects that show a force in practice.

Final Verdict:
3 Stars with a Stone Status of gem with a little g