Price$150.00
Media TypeDVD
CategoryClose Up, Mentalism
Date AddedSep 19, 2012
Woodyland
Aragon, Woody; De Matos, Luis
Essential Magic Collection
(Based on 2 reviews)
DISC 1 features a performance of his entire act at the exclusive Lagrimas Hotel in Coimbra. The show contains Woody classics of magic: Blessed Poker, Oil & Water, Follow The Leader, Divination Ring, his incredible Spelling Routine, the award winning Bumblebees and many more. On these DVDs Woody explains every routine and explains the construction of the show.
DISC 2 concentrates on Interactive and Semi-Automatic magic. This includes The Other Half, Man with Three Hands, Australian Poker, The Impossible Sum, Weighing the Cards and Woody's stunning self-working version of ACAAN. If you are looking for a self-working miracle, this is it.
DISC 3 details routines using some sleight of hand. Includes Progressive Order, Torn Corner Ambitious Card, Gabi's Switch, Covered False Shuffle, Dorset and Triumph.
DISC 4 is a treatise on Woody's work with stacked decks. Packed with powerful material including Si Stebbins, Si Senor, Si Fry, The Mentalist, and his prize winning Spelling Routine, a routine that will stagger you.
Woody Aragón is one of Spain's finest brains. His magic is clever, semi-automatic and generates maximum impact. You will not believe what Woody is able to achieve with clever thinking, subtlety and a great plot. These are entertaining and mystifying routines to include in your professional work.
Also featured on the DVDs is an exclusive interview with Woody where he discusses his life, work and inspirations.
Woodyland is an English language DVD, subtitled in four languages: English, Spanish, French and Japanese. Shot in HD in Portugal by Luis de Matos Productions.
WOODY ARAGÓN: THE MASTER OF THE SELF-WORKING CARD EFFECT
WHAT THE GREATEST ARE SAYING
"My greatest joy with Woody's magic is his contagious enthusiasm when performing and the genius of his explanations."
- JUAN TAMARIZ
"I love the way Woody thinks. His magic has given the term 'Spanish Armada' a new meaning.."
- STEVE BEAM
"Woody Aragon's magic is so clever, crazy and clean - the man should be required to wear a lab coat. Need a solid kick in the brain? Go see Dr. Woody!"
- PIT HARTLING
Running Time Approximately: 10hrs 3min
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: All Nightmare Long by Metallica
Woodyland by Woody Aragon Review:
Four DVDs, over 10 hours of one of the cleverest guys in magic and $150 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay Tuned to find out.
Effect/Method
Like all of the one man four disk sets from Essential Magic Collection, you really get to know the artist. This set of DVDs covers a huge chunk of Woody Aragon's repertoire and critical thinking. 95% of the stuff on this set is "self-working" based on well known principles and ideas. However, he has combined them in such a way that you'll be very surprised by what's possible.
In multiple cases, he fooled me with stuff that I'm very familiar with. This is some of the most clever stuff I've seen in a long time. Read the Ad copy to get a sense of what's on each disk, but here are a few points. You get the best routine I've seen using a Jonah Card. If you don't know what that is, that alone is the reason to buy the DVD set. If you do know what this is, you'll have a hard time believing that he's actually using that principle in his Blessed Poker routine. His spelling routine is actually going into my repertoire. It ties in perfectly with another routine I've been doing for years. This routine is one of the cleverest and most entertaining spelling routines I've ever seen.
The methods in use are simple and within the grasp of any level of performer. Though easy for a beginner, this material is more than worthy of the professional working pro's repertoire.
There are a few effects that are sleight based rather than "automatic" based. Even these, however, are very easy. He has a very clever torn corner ruse that's very clever, simple and worthy of your attention.
Each disk tackles a few tricks, methods and concepts and includes a brief clip of an interview with Luis De Matos (interviewing Woody Aragon). Disk one is the live performance and Aragon's take on structuring tricks, routines, shows and even the DVD you're watching. It's a very well thought out section that opened my eyes to a quite a few things. He uses as an example, the live show's structure, as well as the structure he used to create the DVD with us, the viewers, as his target audience.
The second disk discusses a few more effects that were not in the performance as well as some that were. He covers the methods, techniques, subtleties, principles and ideas that make "automatic" and "interactive" magic work.
The third disk addresses routines that require a bit of sleight of hand (a very little bit) as well as his thinking behind his take on the classic Triumph, a deck switch, false shuffle (for Triumph) and a few other ideas and concepts for even more routines that were not in the live performance, plus the explanation of a couple more effects from the live show.
Finally, disk four gives the methods for the remaining effects in the live show as well as soooooooo much more. This disk alone is one of the best crash courses in the Si Stebbins stack I've ever seen. You'll learn how to use the stack in ways that you, likely, never thought of. There's also a very simple (non-sleight of hand) way to get from brand new deck order to Si Stebbins under the guise of a simple trick.
The interviews on all four disks were excellent and inspiring as is usual with these disk sets. I've barely scratched the surface at how much stuff you'll learn from watching this DVD set.
Ad Copy Integrity
Perfect.
Product Quality
The DVD is extremely well produced as are all EMC productions. Thank you Luis De Matos. Spanish is Woody Aragon's first language. However, the DVD is all done in English. You can then choose to watch it in English with no subtitles. Or you can choose to watch to in English with subtitles in either Spanish, French or Japanese.
The interview segments are, however, spoken in Spanish and subtitled in either English, Spanish, French or Japanese. I watched it with English subtitles, obviously. Often, the subtitles flew off the screen a bit too fast to keep up with, but I was still able to get the gist of the conversation. That's really the only "negative" thing, and it wasn't horrible.
Final Thoughts
Gracias por Luis De Matos y la recopilación de magia esencial.
Final Verdict:
5 Stars with a Stone Status of Super Shiny Totally Awesome GEM!
(Top ▲)
The 4 DVD set might seem expensive at first glance, however; it is packed full of useful and fun magic. The DVD set is produced by Luis de Matos and is a first class product. Easy navigation and fun to watch with many different angle and perspective shots make this set a joy to watch.
Woody is fun. You will become infected with his enthusiasm and impish personality. Woody talks a lot on this DVD and although his English is very good, his accent is thick. Not to worry though, as the DVDs are subtitled so, if you miss a bit of what he said, you can read it at the bottom of the screen. Woody spends a great deal of time talking about his philosophy, performing concepts, and subtleties throughout the four DVDs.
It would be difficult to believe that you won't find something on these DVDs that you will want to perform. This is a 4 DVD set of card tricks . . . and if you are thinking, "I've seen enough card tricks!", I can't blame you. But, I would encourage you to watch these DVDs. Woody has found new ground of performing with cards. His presentations and methods make these card tricks very, very fun.
As of this writing, I have three different friends that have this set and each one of them are working on a different trick in the set to include in their performance repertoire.
A particular point I enjoyed with the DVD set is that you get to watch him perform a formal show at the Lagrimas Hotel in Coimbra. Very few DVD's allow you to see a full live performance with real spectators. This alone is a real gem in the DVD set.
Read the advertising and see if there is not something that will pique your interest as I could write a great deal about each and every trick on the DVD. If I did that the review would take longer to read then watching the DVD set. So just go give Woody your money and enjoy some very fine card magic.
Woody is fun. You will become infected with his enthusiasm and impish personality. Woody talks a lot on this DVD and although his English is very good, his accent is thick. Not to worry though, as the DVDs are subtitled so, if you miss a bit of what he said, you can read it at the bottom of the screen. Woody spends a great deal of time talking about his philosophy, performing concepts, and subtleties throughout the four DVDs.
It would be difficult to believe that you won't find something on these DVDs that you will want to perform. This is a 4 DVD set of card tricks . . . and if you are thinking, "I've seen enough card tricks!", I can't blame you. But, I would encourage you to watch these DVDs. Woody has found new ground of performing with cards. His presentations and methods make these card tricks very, very fun.
As of this writing, I have three different friends that have this set and each one of them are working on a different trick in the set to include in their performance repertoire.
A particular point I enjoyed with the DVD set is that you get to watch him perform a formal show at the Lagrimas Hotel in Coimbra. Very few DVD's allow you to see a full live performance with real spectators. This alone is a real gem in the DVD set.
Read the advertising and see if there is not something that will pique your interest as I could write a great deal about each and every trick on the DVD. If I did that the review would take longer to read then watching the DVD set. So just go give Woody your money and enjoy some very fine card magic.