Movemint
Vanamburg, Darryl; Harris, Paul
Paul Harris Presents
A mint is poured right out of its box onto her hand. It quietly sits there like a well-trained mint, but then the mint suddenly COMES TO LIFE and FLIPS in her hand!
The FLIPPED-OUT SPECTATOR then closes her fingers around the mint. But when she opens her hand to check...the MINT HAS VANISHED!!
We're talking a clean, perfect vanish from right out of her hand that DEEPLY ASTONISHES EVERY SINGLE TIME.
OR dump a mint onto the table and watch it SLOWLY TILT UP ONTO ITS EDGE WHERE IT THEN WINDS ITSELF UP and WHIRLS AROUND like a crazy spinning top!!
You can even make the mint ANIMATE while under a GLASS on the SPECTATOR'S HAND!!
There's been quite a few PK effects released in the past, but MOVEMINT moves animation to the next level of joy with its SELF-CONTAINED CONVENIENCE and pure SCREAM-INDUCING POWER.
Toss the specially gimmicked mint box into your pocket and you're ALWAYS READY. Just bring out the box with your empty hands, dump out a mint...then sit back and watch some of the BIGGEST OUT - OF - CONTROL REACTIONS you've ever witnessed!!
- Self- contained Gimmick in a standard size mint container
- Option to NEVER touch the Mint
- Normal refill mints available from most drug stores or from your favorite magic dealer.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
The performer kindly offers a breath mint to someone and at the spur of the moment decides to demonstrate the ability to move an object, in this case the mint, without touching it. The demonstration could be a demonstration of the power of the mind or a pseudo-science type of demonstration. After the mint moves, stands up on end and spins across the table the spectator can eat the mint.
What You Get:
Everything you need comes in a sturdy black cardboard box with the Movemint label on the front. As with most Paul Harris’s releases you will get everything you need to perform the effect including a box of the regular edible mints. Along with the box of regular mints you will get an identical gimmicked box which will allow you to ring in and out the necessary items to make the effect work. The gimmicked box is in itself a James Bond style gimmick. I was quite impressed as to the construction and function of the box. It is well designed and probably did not have to be as complex as it is but it makes the process so easy.
Along with the boxes you will get additional gimmicks to make the mint move. Five shades of one of this gimmick are provided to match a variety of skin tones (but not all). A custom designed magnet is also provided, nothing “off the shelf” was used in the production of this effect. In addition to this piece of the puzzle, double sided discs are provided as well to adhere the gimmick to your finger. Last but not least, three of the special mints are provided although only one is needed to perform with.
Instruction:
The trick comes with an instructional DVD and it includes excerpts of several live performances of Movemint. For the most part these were shots of screaming teens and bewildered adults. What follows is a thorough explanation of how to load the box, load the gimmick to your hand, release the special mint and finally switching out the gimmicked mint for a regular one. Some basic routines are provided as well. The video was clear and the sound was fine. The video runs about a half hour and in that time you would know all you need to know to go out and perform the effect.
Pros:
Everything is provided for you and well made. If PK effects are your “thing” then this is an easily portable and convincing effect. You start off clean and end clean with nothing visible for anyone to see or inspect. The special mint box is an exact replica of the regular mint box. You will have to remove and install a label but that’s it for DIY.
Cons:
As far as I can see there are none. Everything is provided for you and there is nothing else to buy. If you do go through all of the real mints, those of course will have to be replaced. The only knacky move which will require practice is the exchanging of the fake mint for the real mint. You do this with the mint box itself but there will be a timing issue you will need to work on. If you don’t want to do it this way, you could just pick up the mint and stick it in your pocket.
At A Glance:
Can be performed with Minimal practice
There are no major audience management issues
Can be performed surrounded
Almost instant reset
No DIY
(Top ▲)
This is a really awesome effect. The props are to notch. In the routine, you make a tiny mint stand on end and spin. You then tap the mint across the table toward a spectator, and they can eat the mint.
There are no batteries or anything else that has to be replaced. The props are very sturdy and could last a lifetime.
I was able to do make the mint stand up immediately. Pay close attention to the explanation as it is very easy to do if you follow the instructions.
CONS
The mint is part of a few gimmicks. The mint is very small, so the effect is suitable for close-up, but probably not parlor, and I would think not stage. Also, obviously, they can’t eat the gimmick, so there is a switch. The switch is built into one of the gimmicks and is very clever.
VERDICT
This is a very clever, very powerful routine.
Suggestions
This is a very clever effect, but it is over within seconds. So, you can perform it has a quick bit of magic, but how might you incorporate this into a magic set?You could use it in combination with other PK routines, such as coin bending or fork bending.
You could use it in combination with other mentalism routines, to show the various “powers” of the mind.
Another idea is to use the mint as part of a mini chop cup routine and then use the movement effect as a pseudo explanation.
(Top ▲)
Frankly I'm surprised at how good this is. Granted, you're definitely going to need to practice, but if you do, you've got a very doable and powerful effect that can be that oh-so-coveted reputation maker. Let's take a look at the usuals:
- Ad Copy Integrity
- Production Quality
- Product/Gimmick Quality
It's typically these three things that give us the most insight into the value of a magic product, so here we go.
Ad Copy Integrity
I think that after the video trailer was made, they decided to modify their claims slightly when it came to the written ad copy. In the video trailer, the claim is made that the spectator can eat the mint. That's not entirely accurate. I'm assuming that you've guessed a swi*** is required. The ad copy mentions the fact that it's a PK effect, so if you know about the "thing" that PK uses, you know that you can't actually eat them.
However, to be fair, the swi*** required to allow the spectator to eat the mint is very simple to do, and looks amazing. Just be aware of the fact that when doing the effects in the spectator's hand, the spectator must put the mint down on the table so you can do a quick little secret something to it before they can pick it up and eat it.
Also, the written ad copy mentions being able to do the effect with a glass covering the mint. Unfortunately that effect/method is not taught on the DVD (at least not anywhere I could find it).
Production Quality
The DVD quality, lighting, sound, teaching, angles, etc., were all excellent. Absolutely no complaints here. I really liked how clean and efficient the menu navigation was.
Product/Gimmick Quality
The gimmick itself is very well made and very clever. Most of the effects require a small gimmick (which IS supplied) to be on your hand. The gimmick is hidden well. However, you may run into issues if you're very dark skinned. You're given 5 different colors to choose from, however, I would say that it would cover most white people and most Latino people. However if you're much darker than that, the gimmick won't be as invisible.
That said, however, the gimmick is much like a T.T. in the sense that people don't see it anyway, and the color of it shouldn't matter. However, there are a couple of open-handed displays that may be an issue if you're skin color doesn't match the gimmick. Overall, I don't think it's a huge hindrance. In fact my favorite effects with this system use the gimmick in such a way that even if it were fluorescent pink you would never see it because it's hidden and used in a different more secretive way.
The one of the effects that I would most likely do (Mint Through Glass Table) could actually be done with a PK ring easily and not even require the aforementioned gimmick. Second the other effect I would most likely do ("Basic Handling") uses the gimmick, but it's not in your hands, so you can very freely and openly show your hands.
One other concern about this wearable portion of the gimmick is that if you have wide fingers - I do - the gimmick is a little awkward. Again, however, there is still plenty you can do without being able to wear it.
Finally, the best part about this gimmick is that your hands can be shown empty at the start and end of the effect because the gimmick is very cleverly loaded on and off of you hand in a super sneaky clever manner. If you have your mint box with you, you could do this trick completely nude (freak). Everything is completely self-contained.
All of the info above about the color of part of the gimmick should not be a major concern. The only thing that it prevents you from doing (if the color is off) is showing the palm of one of your hands (once the gimmick has been loaded). The structure of the routines does not require it, so don't sweat it. I only mentioned it in case you had in mind that you wanted to show the palms of your hands. Frankly it's not needed.
Final Thoughts
If you've read everything above that I've written, you may feel like I just picked out the flaws and that I'm not happy with this product. However, nothing could be further from the truth. I really like this product. I just want to make sure that you're clear about what you're getting. Simply put, here it is: A PK system that is completely contained within a very cleverly gimmicked mint box.
The system requires a super easy one time set up of about 10 minutes. From then on it's ready to go at a moment's notice. The system allows you to cause the mint to move, rotate, vanish, penetrate a clear (or not clear) table and so much more. All of it can be done if you have the box of mints with you. The wearable part of the gimmick is contained inside the gimmicked box and it's loaded on and off as needed, and is never seen by the audience.
The only question you have to ask yourself is if you feel the effect(s) is/are worth $100. If you like and think that you'll do the effects, you'll find that the methods and effects possible are very straightforward and very powerful. If you feel this effect is for you, then go for it.
Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of GEM.
(Top ▲)
Normally, I'm a big proponent of leaving things open to interpretation. But I'm an engineer and usually end up redesigning most things that I buy which end up in my repertoire. With MOVEMiNT, I can't imagine a single thing I could do to enhance the method. In fact, there's a "clean up" switch that is so devious that I'm trying to figure out how I can use the method for other effects.
This is exactly the type of thing I would carry with me. Everything you need is kept inside the mint box, including the fekes that you'll steal out and use elsewhere. Hell, they even supply you with multiple fekes to match different bodies (I don't want to give away too much here).
The instruction is superb. Everything is broken down into easy-to-understand steps with multiple camera angles, when necessary.
I know the price tag may seem a bit much for a little trick that you're only going to do for one or two people. But I think it's worth every penny. Part of what you're paying for is the excellent machining. Trust me, you don't want to have to worry about something breaking or fouling up.
One final thought: I typically have well-developed scripts for all of my routines. This is one of those rare instances where a simple one- or two-line introduction is all you need. Then just shut up and let the suspense build.