"Spinner" DVD by Nicolas Lepage
Suggested Retail USD$17.95
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 2 Out of 10

"Spinner", a DVD by Nicolas LePage, is an idea that is slightly interesting but with the subtlety of a sledgehammer this is one that plays more as a weak gag than a magical effect.

But then I thought the same thing when I saw the effect in a really bad movie, "Smoking Aces". And if Jeremy Piven couldn't make it look halfway decent with all the Hollywood special effects floating around, what chance do we have with an update on the old UF Grant gimmick in the always-unpredictable environment of live performing venues?

It was a rhetorical question: the answer's "not much".

If you're not familiar with "Spinner", it's pretty easy to explain. Something like a borrowed bill or a chosen card is held in the hands and begins levitation and spinning around. The bad news is that it sounds a lot more interesting than it really is. This is one where you have to see the demo before even thinking about parting with your money for it (and after that, you probably won't).

Here's the thing. "Spinner" has the flash over the old gimmick, what with that spinning action and all. But it loses where the original wins: the subtlety of timing. With the original gimmick, something "floated" for a mere second or two -- no more. The spectators never had time to notice anything strange, let alone be drawn to the (more or less correct) working, other than the levitation itself. That is why, to this day, it will work.

"Spinner" misses that all-important subtlety. With "Spinner", the object spins and floats for a few seconds (usually a lot of seconds), in which time the spectator wonders about things. Now, that's not to say they immediately stumble upon all the workings, but all it takes is a split second of thought and -- bam! -- we're busted.

Frankly, I've always been intrigued with this kind of construction (I once built one into a Hummer Floating Bill and, in a fit of pride, sent the description of the thing to Paul Harris -- I was 14 at the time). I still think there's some good in it. However, you won't find it in "Spinner"; it's just too obvious.

I'll leave off going into detail with the other bits (lackluster instructions that don't address performance issues, a too-complicated construction, wickedly tough angles, and so forth) because, really, if you can't beat the "obvious" problem, all else is moot.

For that reason, this is one I can't recommend.

"Spinner" DVD by Nicolas Lepage
In a Blink: 2 Out of 10

Material: 1
The old UF Grant gimmick gets a makeover, minus some of the neat handling and control but with a spinning action. Unfortunately, this one screams of what's going on and becomes more of a poor gag than a magical effect.

Practicality: 2
This one has extremely atrocious angles which all but kills it in my book. Otherwise, the practicality issues are fairly minor.

Quality of Production: 5
The production value are alright, without nothing to rave about or rail against.

Quality of Instruction: 5
The instructions are done without any verbal component but with plenty of captions. Honestly, this one is very easy to pick up that way, but what was left out is far more detrimental.

Presentation: 1
This is, in a word, obvious. Lacking the subtlety of the original, this one stands out like a sore thumb.


Shane

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