AlexInChains19 The first time I saw this show, I said "wow, this guy is amazing." Then I realized that anyone with a video camera can do magic tricks. Don't get me wrong, this show is worth watching for the entertainment factor. Just that nobody can defy the laws of gravity, no matter how convincing he is. I would like to go see one of his shows live. He seems like a very good entertainer. However, when he says that he will leave something in one spot and then the camera cuts to a different angle, it makes you wonder if they touched anything. The reactions from the spectators often seem authentic, but for all we know they could be straight out of acting school. They all seem to be the same age. Plus the show is filmed in Vegas so who knows what kind of people they have there.
iTZi1 i see all these posts about it being fake and all and how Criss sucks for deceiving us..well of course it's fake, and criss never said he was "magic" he said he was an illusionist.. which means he creates and illusion of magic, and you're left trying to figure out how he "faked" it..and he does it in the most entertaining way...The setups, the stunts, everything... all stuff that has never been "faked" before, at least not in the fashion Criss does it, and even though i know what he's about to do and that there's an episode after the one i'm watching, i still get a funny feeling whenever Criss is lying on a bed of nails or setting himself on fire etc.He creates both real suspense and great illusion, which amazes me quite a bit.
caa821 I'm no expert on the subject of "magic," but I believe the term "smoke and mirrors" goes back to the 1800's and perhaps a lot farther.If you watch, say, David Copperfield, whether live or on television special (I've seen him in both), there still is a lot of "smoke," undoubtedly mirrors as well - and the state-of-the-art in the manufacture and use of these today would be far advanced from earlier times. You know the huge spinning saw blade isn't going to cut through him, but it looks like it does. We know this is an "illusion," and the practitioners in this area of show business use this term themselves, including Mr. Angel.There's some video on-line, purportedly produced by Criss himself, indicating the levitation technique. And while one program showed him levitating high above the ground, from one Las Vegas building to another, he still takes the elevator and stairs to his suite, steps onto and off of his RV, etc.Whatever, I enjoy his programs - the prolonged séance scene wasn't that entertaining, and (for me) some of his more extravagant bits (e.g. from the boat) are my less-favorite.I enjoy most some of his bits with cards, jewelry, other personal items, and some of the bits levitating others - especially when done on a crowded street, restaurant, etc. How did he not only toss a deck of cards from the sidewalk, with his subject's card then appearing stuck to the adjacent plate glass restaurant window (ON THE INSIDE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GLASS, YET)?? Hell, I don't know, but that's the whole idea and I enjoyed it.Some suggest the use of confederates from the "bystanders," and some camera trickery. This thought has crossed my mind sometimes, and some people's reactions and patter, and some occasional camera shots suggest this. But many observers are youngsters, ordinary street folk, and others, where, for a variety of reasons, it doesn't seem they could be "acting." A lot of it is simply great sleight-of-hand. And we know misdirection is usually involved, expertly, at some point(s).I've spent a lot of prolonged time in Spain on business, and have seen a man there who does CLOSE-UP magic, standing by a table with patrons seated there, and he does it WITH ONE HAND ONLY. Colleagues of mine have seen him live, and been participants, and none can deduce how he does what he does.Angel's interlocking a couple's wedding rings at a dinner table in a Vegas restaurant, having an older lady's ring reappear within an ice cube, and before a large crowd in a mall, throw a deck of cards scattered on the floor, and then having the "selected card" rise from the pile, were all entertaining bits.His sleight-of-hand is superb, and his demeanor is entertaining.Does he possess truly "magical powers?" I doubt it. But, who cares? It's an entertaining half-hour, and watching 2/3/4 of his episodes back-to-back is entertaining, and doesn't seem "over-long," if you have the time.Finally, where physical prowess is needed, this man's superb conditioning is irable and fascinating to see, too.Just enjoy his talent and quirky, likable persona. A good program.
