"Card Warp Finale" DVD by Paul Green
Suggested Retail USD$20.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

"Card Warp Finale", a new DVD by Paul Green, is modestly named -- Green teaches his entire strolling routine here -- and, for the aficionado looking for more "Card Warp" material is a worthwhile investment, but the titled climax is dangerously close to taking the magic out of things entirely.

Don't get me wrong: Green's routine is a slick bit of business. His set-up for strolling -- allowing you to just pull two cards from your pocket and go to work -- is a neat idea and, if you're in situations where you want to repeat "Card Warp", worth looking at. During the course of the routine, Green has put together some nice moves, displays, and interaction which make "Card Warp Finale" a learning experience for those that haven't immersed themselves in the classic.

It's the touted finale that I have issues with. By that, I mean it's personally not for me.

There's no mention of what the climax is anywhere in the ad copy, probably to keep folks from trying to reverse-engineer the thing and do it badly (which is almost a given). In fact, the finale here is something that, if you've played with two-card versions of "Card Warp" for any length of time (and I do mean "played", not "learned a routine and perform it by rote"), you're very likely to have stumbled across it on your own. Green makes a move out of it, a deliberate action instead of an accidental mishandling, and that makes all the difference.

In short, after you've done the whole "warped" thing and you're ready to tie up all the loose ends and go on to something else, one card is folded lengthwise and is inside the other card which is folded widthwise. You then tear through the cards, unfold them, and show that the card that has been shown warped truly is: one half is facing one way, the other half the other way. This card has to be physically twisted back to it's normal condition, so badly is it warped.

And that, in a nutshell is the finale.

Ironically, it's also the weak part of routine to me. It skates dangerously close to exactly what "Card Warp" is and how it's done. Granted, it's not as blatant as, say, doing a certain three-card monte packet trick and showing mis-indexed cards as the climax, but it feels like it wouldn't take much for spectators to see it for what it is. Is this the infamous "magician's guilt"? Nope: it's personal preference. I want something more for a climax that something close to the sneaky stuff I'm doing in the first place. I'm sure Green kills with this ending (he's just that good) and the thought of it as a solution never enters a spectator's mind, but for myself, it's just not far enough along for me. I'll stick with the one I currently do, thanks.

Does that make "Card Warp Finale" a waste of time, then? If you've been around the block and consider yourself pretty much an expert on "Card Warp", then probably. Some of Green's touches and handlings have been done elsewhere in other forms (usually the bill-and-card variant) and if you're the aforementioned expert you've likely been exposed to them from others. If you're a rank beginner with "Card Warp" and looking to take the plunge for the first time, I'd be more apt to recommend L&L's "World's Greatest Magic: Card Warp" to get the most exposure to the effect. However, if you're doing a "Card Warp" of some kind and want some neat ideas and -- possibly -- a finale your routine is missing, then Green's "Card Warp Finale" is an excellent buy and worth a look; you'll pick up quite a few tips along the way.

If that last description means you, then by all means pick this one up; you won't be disappointed.

"Card Warp Finale" DVD by Paul Green
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

Material: 8
Rather than being just the finale for a "Card Warp" routine, this is Green's entire routine, his handling of the classic, including his finale. While the finale itself isn't all that powerful (and, arguably, not all that magical), the tips and several moves are worth the modest price for those a bit newer to "Card Warp".

Practicality: 10
You need two cards and an audience... It doesn't get much more practical than this. If you use Green's get-ready, you'll have to watch your back, but that's a small thing for most performers and venues.

Quality of Production: 10
It's a Kozmo production, which means excellent work all the way around. No flaws here to worry about.

Quality of Instruction: 10
Green does a fantastic job of teaching his routine and all the little bits and pieces that make this a great effect for strolling.

Presentation: 6
"Card Warp" is one of the greatest "un-card" tricks, with striking and unexpected visuals but always with one weak point: the finale. Green's climax is interesting, and worth a look if your current "Card Warp" lacks one, but appears to point directly to the working and that's not good and can strip the magic from the classic.


Shane

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