"One-Hand Popover" DVD by Aaron Fisher
Suggested Retail USD$30.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

"One-Hand Popover", a DVD by Aaron Fisher, is a strange thing in our little magic world: a DVD teaching not a single trick but a single sleight, and being worth every penny to the working card slinger.

Yeah, you caught me. I qualified that a little there. But I have my reasons (which we'll get to later; this is what is known as "the hook").

The move itself is a single card production. But it's strikingly visual and has a nice little subtlety which, at first glance, one would expect spectators not to latch onto but latch they do and it gives "One-Hand Popover" some extra power. Not that it needs it; this is one sweet production.

Or, to quote the quite accurate ad copy, "It's not there. It's there."

I'll save all the details about the sleights; you can check out the video online. It's the same popover move taught in "Paper Engine" but now taught with some updates Fisher came up with, some extra ideas and tips, and, more importantly, details of instruction which make learning this a piece of cake. Essentially, a card appears to, well, appear sticking out of the middle of a deck. The end.

But think about that for a minute. It's a great production bit for an Ace routine, maybe. Or makes a good revelation for a chosen card. Or... you get the idea. Personally, I like to use it on the off-beat, letting it just sink in casually instead of the more "in your face" approach to the appearance, but that's just me and that speaks to the versatility of the sleight.

Now, here's where the conundrum comes in.

When I get a DVD with one trick on it, it better be one spectacular trick. It better go straight into my act. It better start earning its keep from the get-go or I am just not going to be happy.

So how do I feel about a DVD that doesn't even teach a trick, good or bad, but teaches just a single sleight instead? Actually, pretty damn good. I'm quite happy with this one, single sleight or no.

Here's the thing: some sleights just need to be seen to be learned correctly (says the guy who "mastered" the Curry Turnover and performed it for three decades before someone pointed out I was doing it wrong). The "One-Hand Popover" is just that kind of sleight. I have "Paper Engine", the book which this move comes from, and I could not get the thing to work. This is not a knock against Fisher's writing skills -- they're fine, thanks -- but the sleight has some subtle things that just need to be eyeballed to be learned and the video does the job.

Besides, the sleight's going to start earning its keep with me soon enough. So I'm one happy little card guy with Fisher's "One-Hand Popover" DVD.

But...

Folks, this is not really a knuckle-busting, finger-twisting, kind of sleight. Shoot, I was doing the basic mechanics in a few minutes (such is the quality of Fisher's instruction). It's difficulty instead relies on a certain sense of timing and speed. I wouldn't exactly consider this for "advanced" card workers because of that, but go into this one knowing that patience is a requirement; think of it almost as a pass, where the moves are easy but timing is everything.

Then, if you've got a use for this one, go get it, settle in with Fisher, and learn this one. For the card worker looking for something just that much different, this is a keeper.

"One-Hand Popover" DVD by Aaron Fisher
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

Material: 8
It's a DVD featuring a single card sleight, but that sleight, a one-handed production, is a good one and, when added to some card routines, makes for a sweet little climax. Still, the price to learn the ins and outs of one move might appear steep; to the working card slinger, it's worth every penny.

Practicality: 10
Got a deck of cards? That's it for the requirements needed with this one. Angles are not a problem, resetting is nonexistent, no gaffs... this is a sleight, after all. This is not a difficult move -- you don't have to be an expert card worker for this one -- but you do need to be a little dedicated. This one can take some time to get "just right" but that's more a matter of timing than anything else.

Quality of Production: 8
The production values are pretty high here. While there's no real heavy strikes against it, at times Fisher has to prove just how flexible he is as he manipulates his hands around the camerawork rather than the other way around. Add some angles and this would have been a near perfect production

Quality of Instruction: 9
Fisher does an admirable job here, though there were a few times when, in an effort to be thorough, he went on just a bit too much. Some scripting here and slightly better direction would have helped. Still, Fisher taught an old dog a new trick and that proves the man can teach quite well indeed

Presentation: 10
It's a sleight so it's all in what you do with it, but it's an excellent production and, with some experience on when and where to execute the thing, you could find yourself using it more than you'd think.


Shane

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