"Glimpse 20/20" DVD by Marc Spelmann
Suggested Retail USD$37.25
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

"Glimpse 20/20", the latest DVD release by Marc Spelmann, is a great little idea, an update on a little-used device that moves this one from nostalgia to necessity by being simply too slick for words.

I have to be brutally honest here and say I was already in love with this one before I got it: it's a peek box. I've been using this kind of contraption for years (we'll call it the "Anneman version" since that's where I picked it up from), despite its shortcomings. I've also built my own takes on it to accommodate a variety of specific uses. I know for a fact the power this kind of thing can add to an effect, even as you have to watch you angles, keep spectators from getting to interested in the thing, manage spectators when they do handle it...

Well, you get the idea. But I still love the thing.

So enter now Marc Spelmann, who decided to take the thing and up the amps with the old idea. I watched the demo video and knew exactly what he was using, having used it before myself. But then I saw Spelmann not doing a lot of things I had to do: he didn't care about angles (in fact, during one shot, he had horrible angles that would have exposed me and my dated method in a heartbeat); he didn't care if the spectator handled the box -- in fact, he actually gave it to them to put the deck in; he didn't say a word when they held the box -- he just let them hold it like the regular old box it is.

Now, granted the spectator in question was creator Peter Nardi, but still... Spelmann is above any kind of slimy misrepresentation so I assumed (correctly) that spectators would never see a thing. They would never suspect a thing. And the workings could be in their hot little hands the whole time.

So, yeah, I was already in love with "Glimpse 20/20" before I got it.

And then I was in heaven when I did get it.

Spelmann outdid himself here. This is the Mona Lisa of peek boxes, something so simple and yet so masterful. Frighteningly easy to use, simple to assemble, and devious in practice, "Glimpse 20/20" is one of those things that is fascinatingly flexible for both the mentalist and magician alike. And if you already carry a deck with you when you go out and about, it takes up no extra room in your pocket; it is, after all, just a card box.

But man, what a card box. Use it to gain info, or use it for a quick load of something or the other. Find out what's written on a piece of paper or a devastating "card-to-box" routine. The fact is that "Glimpse 20/20" is one of those lovely utilities that can be used for a thousand things limited only by your imagination.

If you're not of the mind to work that hard, never fear. Spelmann includes a couple of fully-realized routines and a ton of ideas to get you going with his little device. It's in those ideas you'll find that powerful "card-to-box" routine, along with a slick bit with bending coins and a lot more. Spelmann also takes the time to explain how to rationalize the use of the card box for things like drawing duplications -- where the box is, admittedly, out of place -- that actually makes good sense.

Now, I have to hand out one word of advice and it applies to constructing the gimmick. Spelmann gives a great lesson in how to make it, but be sure to pay close attention before you start to make your first one. I didn't, I jumped ahead, and the results were, putting it nicely, disastrous. After you get your first one done, you'll be able to whip them out in a few minutes (and, if you and the spectators handle them with care, they'll last a long time before you even need worry about it).

At the end of the day, "Glimpse 20/20" is an excellent device with a lot of possibilities built into it. This is one that, if it's your thing, you'll end up loving.

"Glimpse 20/20 " DVD by Marc Spelmann
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
This is a devilish little device, an update on something as old as, well, card boxes, that holds inside it some completely fascinating ideas just waiting to jump out at you. While the applications for mental effects are quite apparent, there are a number of magical plots that could well make use of this utility.

Practicality: 10
A lot of this depends on what you do with it, but the device itself is perfectly practical. It's easy to use, invisible, and packs small (considering it can function in its original capacity as a card box).

Quality of Production: 10
The production values are tremendously high here, with everything simply excellent.

Quality of Instruction: 10
Spelmann does an excellent job of teaching everything from the construction of his gadget to the use of it. There'll be no problems here.

Presentation: n/a
It's a utility device so this is pretty much all in what you do with it.


Shane

Available direct from your favorite dealer. Dealers, please contact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc. toll-free at 1-800-853-7403 or visit Murphy's Magic Supplies website.