Exo.Rant-Review of "Time and Space" by Justin Miller

[JKDragoon]

Heya!

Justin Miller used to be amongst one of my favourite magicians, ever since Silver Dream and Army of 52 (and his work with the Ghost Gaff deck). However, since his Loops DVD, I've found that I no longer like his... hmmm... 'attitude'?... Perhaps due to the slight tiff he had with Aaron DeLong, or perhaps due to his change in performance. I don't know... Let's just say he's not amongst the top of my list anymore.

EVEN SO... The effects that he releases are top-notch (as long as they are his... *hint*) and "Time and Space" is nothing short of that. In fact, the trick is quite long to do...
Anyhow...

(Okay... After closing my browser, I find myself re-writing my previously long post... But I'll just do it again...)

Exo.Rant-Review of "Time and Space" by Justin Miller...

So... What sort of trick could possibly gain the exquisite title of "Time and Space" (TS)?
What sort of fancy objects will you be needing?
Perhaps some magic pixie dust and a globe containing the Universe? Maybe Orion's Belt from "Men In Black"?
Well... Sorry to disappoint, but you can put away all your super-cool universal remote control watches and dream on about travelling back in time to correct your wrongs... All you'll need is a deck of cards. Yup.. That's right... A plain, simple deck of cards...
Just to learn.... ONE HECK OF A KILLER ROUTINE!!

Tudor-esque Explanation of "Time and Space"...
Long one here... A Prediction Card placed on table. Spectator picks a card and has it signed along a line drawn by magician. Signed card placed on table. Jokers located within face-up pack... Proceed to sandwich Prediction Card to 'guard' it. Signed card is lost in the pack. Magician proceeds to deal cards face-up until spectator identifies signed card. Signed card is not seen in entire deck!... 1st Climax
Signed card is shown to be the prediction card!... 2nd Climax
Signed card and jokers are quickly displayed. Placed in spectator's hands, covered. Upon opening, signed card is shown to be fused with both jokers... 3rd Climax

Diving in depth: "Time and Space" broken apart...
An effect with 3 climaxes, one being a truly KILLER ending that can be kept by your spectator! They WILL remember you because of this trick (unless you have a better one up your sleeve... And that's quite hard to do...)!
How Miller came up with the idea behind this trick is beyond me... The thinking behind each move, the mechanics, the overall plot... Having your spectators stunned THREE times is no joke. This is one severe punch-in-the-stomach for other card magicians who couldn't think up something like this.

So, before going into anything... I might as well nail down the bad point.
The trick, as you should already have guessed, requires a GAFF card... The selection fused with the jokers. And NO... Justin Miller does NOT teach you how to make it! Instead, he 'forces' you to replenish your supply by buying it off his site. RATS!... It's US$1 per card... And what about shipping?!
That was a real doorstopper there... But perhaps you can make your own with the jokers coming from each new deck. Or, why not think of a new plot that invovles a different fusion? I'm leaving the floor open for you to decide what to do...

The trick requires a starting setup which shouldn't be too difficult to do. The handling of the trick is a little edgy at times, but just keep with the flow and you should be fine. Every move is justified and Miller ensures that you are taught these little subtleties. In fact, every move appears so 'fair' to the spectators that they will swear they just saw 'real' magic.
The key aspect of this trick is the plot. Please, please, PLEASE develop the plot properly! Don't rush things (though his pace was a little slow for me)... You want the spectator to be really skeptical about your theories about Time and Space before you prove them WRONG. They will be in tears by the end of the trick and rest assured, having them keep their fused signed card will give them a story to tell many others.

Bare-Bones Bottom Line...
The DVD, along with 6 gaff cards, will cost US$35 from Miller's personal site. He also sells batches of refills (x25) for US$25... But that's the big brake pedal on the trick. You'll want to reserve performance for big crowds or key people that will get you booked. The cost is steep and just about borders on being justified for the effect.
On Exo... Oh wait, that's not possible anymore, right? Hahahaha... Oh well...
I'll say this though... The video is 'obtainable'... But you still have to overcome the problems with the gaff... Make it or buy it? That decision is yours to make (and for your $$$ to make too!).

Hope you liked the review!
Feel free to comment or 'spar'...
J

[drkrelemnts]

What bothers me about this trick is that there are multiple climaxes but the whole fusion/merge deal has nothing to do with any part of the trick. What are your thoughts on it?

[Will Thong]

I agree, it is simply a nice little aside. I would perform the trick just for the DOUBLE climax, but, actually, whilst we're on the subject of having cards signed and wasted, I might as well perform Paperclipped!

[JKDragoon]

Originally Posted by drkrelemnts

What bothers me about this trick is that there are multiple climaxes but the whole fusion/merge deal has nothing to do with any part of the trick. What are your thoughts on it?

Well, the thing about the end is that you need to develop the storyline for it to have any impact. With good development, it truly will be magical for your spectator. On the flip side, if the spectators aren't convinced by then, it still ends up as a neat little trick... They would never be expecting the fusion in the first place, especially with the signed card.

"Time and Space" really depends on your ability to build the moment. It's quite a challenging piece to do, one you should really practice on patter rather than difficult sleights!

J