TA: True Astonishment by Paul Harris (Box Set) Now Shipping! (9 DVDs + Props) - The most-anticipated DVD set of the last 5 yrs. Paul Harris is one of the most influential men in modern close-up magic. Every big name in magic will own these. We've been waiting. It's finally here!
"I had heard rumors about these dvd's for years now. Once the official announcement was released there was no second thought involved. Paul Harris shaped so many of my views regarding close-up magic and creating that magic moment during my early days. I knew that I had to have them. Eagerly awaiting the set and spending days combing over them for amazing new effects." -- Oz Pearlman
Imagine that thrill when you were a kid and got your first bike, your first dog, your first car. Imagine the thrill you got when you read the early Paul Harris books or the Art of Astonishment books. These are all moments you will never forget. You'll get that same feeling as you take a journey through Paul Harris' True Astonishments.
True Astonishments will be Paul Harris' current, definitive, and final legacy. This is a monumental project of the highest caliber from the production to the material... it's simple, elegant, practical, and beautiful. True Astonishments is one of the most important projects to be released in the last 30 years.
With the True Astonishments Collector's set you will get:
9 DVDs in three fold cases with elegant images and artwork to inspire.
Material ranging from exciting new creations by Paul and friends to groundbreaking work on many Paul Harris classic effects.
Effects with cards, coins, bills, business cards, lighters, bottles, leafs, buttons, oranges, and so much more.
Interviews with David Blaine, Eric Mead, Michael Ammar, Eugene Burger, Jeff McBride, Mac King, Chuck Martinez, Looy Simonoff,. and with Paul himself.
Secret props to help create cutting edge astonishments.
In addition to the jam packed reputation making content contained within, you'll also find yourself twisting along secret passageways filled with hidden treasures. In OVER 40 hidden cookies throughout the DVDs you'll discover amazing bonus effects, interviews, and footage just waiting to be found.
Performances and teachings by Bro Gilbert, Wayne Houchin, Jeff McBride, Cheng Lin, Andrew Gerard, and other top creators and performers.
PHoote Notes for most effects which is Paul discussing his thoughts, ideas, tips, and added handlings for each effect.
The TA Pen which will revolutionize the way you think about magic with dollar bills.
Truly astonishing effects, interviews, philosophy and beautiful landscapes, all specially shot in the rain forest of a tiny beach town on the coast of British Columbia. The live performances include a cast of friendly dogs, walks in the wilderness, weird PH tidbits and a local spectators who experience the True Astonishments.
You'll find this all packaged in a beautiful, custom made wooden puzzle box designed by one of the world's leading puzzle box makers which will handsomely and proudly display this important collector's set.
Be part of what some believe may be the most important project to come along during our time - Paul Harris' True Astonishments..
Twilight Angels: Wayne Houchin performs a beautiful rendition of this classic PH effect. Paul has said repeatedly that this may BE his all time favorite effect.
Backlash 2: Paul and TA director Bro Gilbert took one of one of the most popular effects from the Art Of Astonishment books tore it apart, rebuilt it from the ground up and pumped up the ending till it explodes.
New Leaf: Another ingenious organic piece of strange from Paul and Bro. This new version of Leaf moves into the spectator's hands completely, and with a simple rubbing, everything becomes whole again. The next time you're in the middle of the woods and someone asks to see something magical you've got a lifetime supply of props and a beautiful little moment to share.
Cheng's Change: This is mind-blowing. Perform Zapped! with normal cards. Five cards visually morph into five different cards right under their noses. Did we mention NO GIMMICKS?
Big Tiny: A spectator's signature reassembles itself and multiplies in their hands. They honest-to-god truly mix up the cards and then the ink morphs into their name.
The New Las Vegas Leaper: Ok, this is so brilliant and so simple! Basically, you do the original PH routine with some new touches and add a whole new twist to end on. You'll kick yourself for not having thought of it.
Tubular: Paul's impromptu miracle where two signed bills impossibly morph into one bill with both names... all in the spectator's hands.
Cheng's Riser: The card visually and slowly rises towards the top. Then with barely a wave of the hand it melts right through to the very top. No gimmicks, just beautiful methodology.
Growing Card by Tomoyuki Shimmura: This bizarre piece of strange happens in full view. A card visibly squishes out of shape as it slowly stretches and grows to twice its size in full view. Beautifully performed and taught by Robert Smith.
Casanova Inc: Steve Haynes contributes two streamlined elegant handlings of his breakthrough Casanova Concept with business cards.
Half Moon Trading Company: Paul has devised a brand new principle that is guaranteed to expand your mind using a normal card case and a borrowed imagination.
Half Moon Voodoo: A new re-wired version of Guy Hollingsworth's Voodoo Card that ups the happy and glad quotient. You can show the deck freely before the start of the trick. There's nothing to find.
Pack of Lies: A brand new look at the PH Vanishing Deck. Bro's knock-out handling will forever change how we vanish our decks.
Solid with Happy Ending: Paul's completely new method for the classic Solid Deception. The deck goes solid just like before but this time the cards happily undo themselves.
Dr. Fun: After over forty attempts Paul finally nailed this biggie that has all the impact of Deep Astonishment and The Anything Deck, except you can use ANY deck. Imagine the emotional impact when you are able to predict the happiest moment of someone's life!
Name Dropper: A spectator is able to mysteriously and visually print her own name.
Lubor's Lens: This is the definitive work on Reality Twister. For everyone out there who just couldn't figure out the right presentation for this, the wait is over. Along with a brand new presentation, you get your very own Lubor's Lens included with the set.
Naked Strange: Paul's immaculate gimmickless, impromptu version of Strange Travelers. Simple, powerful and true.
Gerard's Warp: Andrew Gerard adds a new psychological twist and turn to Card Warp that left Paul and Bro speechless. Andrew warped their minds so thoroughly, they had to go back to the tape and re-examine what they thought had happened.
Transcendental Bar Bet: Transcendental Bar Bet: This is the PH completely hands off, in your face (and on the table), card vanish. Oh yeah, the deck is completely normal and you never touch it during the vanish. The spectator actually vanishes the card herself.
Extraordinary Proof: Andrew Gerard is back with a self-working Stop masterpiece that leave your holding your favorite spectator's hand. All you have to do is show up and deal.
Tensegrity: Patrick Snowden's strange improbably balanced card sculptures have been pumped up to a new gravity-defying level. Can be done anywhere, surrounded, etc. A true piece of strange that leaves one dangling from the crumbling edge.
Reswindled: PH's hand picked choice as the definitive version of Reset. Caleb Wiles has come up with the real work. The two piles never touch and he's added a fully integrated big finish!
Smoking Eye: This beautiful feature PH creation with a couple of signed examined matches was inspired by Paul's kid sister Janet when, after surgery, wisps of smoke began coming out of her eyeball.
The Weirdling: Michael Weber has taken a stack of those coffee cards you get at your favorite local java joint and flipped them inside out. Comes with your own special coffee cards.
Ripped and Fryed: Charlie Frye has come up with the most incredible Torn And Restored Technology to date! Whether you play with this in the mirror or on the town, you will love doing this!
Cellmates: Meet your soulmate!. She gets your number, you get hers and you both share plenty of laughs along the way. Cellmates is Paul's no-pressure romance inducer with a no-worry ending that puts the odds in your favor.
Water Trap: Bro Gilbert's unimaginably cool new approach to Doug Bennett's signed- coin- in- matchbook plot. A genuine breakthrough new method that allows you to improv the prep with a normal matchbook in ten seconds!
Dunn's Deal: Shaun Dunn presents his version of Galaxy. This time, the spectator is shuffling her whole way through the entire effect. Just when they think it's all over... you tell her to shuffle again.
Invisible Palm by Wayne Houchin: You've seen the video of Wayne performing this for years, now learn all the finesse and handling he's brought to this PH classic.
Truly Screwed: This is the new and improved Improv Screwed Deck. Incredibly visual and a treat for your fingers. And the really screwy thing here, is the worse you do the key move here the better it looks.
Belly Button: This is Paul's unbelievable brainstorm for doing card through window with a campaign-type button.. using the spectator's own shirt as the window!
SOS: Paul's new version of Color Stunner is more streamlined, simplified and simply a better more joyous thing.
Muscle Bend: A borrowed coin bend that starts and ends with empty hands. Involves a mystery "organic ungimmicked gimmick" that will change the way you bend coins forever.
Unstable Label: Andrew Gerard's "Label to Inside of Bottle" with no palming or gimmicks. Perform with a normal bottle in a moment's notice.
TA Pen. Having fun yet? This 9th and final DVD includes a special PH custom gimmick which will not be available separately for quite a while.
What is the TA pen? It's a new gimmick that makes immaculately clean bill changes, switches, and animations. Everything about the pen is self-contained and can even be handled and used as a normal pen by spectators.
If you thought this is all enough to keep you busy for a couple of years, you'd be right. But there is one last final thing on DVD 9: Paul's very own Angel Cake.
Angel Cake is....a slightly troubling once-in-a-lifetime principle. This slice of ph cake almost definitely will give you some sleepless nights contemplating the philosophical implications of this karmically loaded astonishment.
Angel Cake is...a brand new theory in bill changes that allows you to....well, you'll just have to find out for yourself.
Paul Harris' True Astonishments... the truth is finally out!
FREE BONUS: When you purchase this product from Penguin you'll
gain access to a special private discussion forum exclusively for magicians who perform this effect. This is a free feature that can be
very helpful in mastering your new magic. Please visit the Penguins
Only section for more information.
This is a very nice set to own. It's a good amount of material on these DVDs when you include the bonus material. After buying mine (although I did get the original puzzle box version), I didn't have regrets. I feel the price is justified given what you get.
It feels like the tricks are varied, creative and are focused on being something the spectator would enjoy.
I think the TA pen and Angel Cake (discussed on the last DVD) methods were a little bit of a let down, because I wanted them to be something more revolutionary or complicated.... HOWEVER.... even after I had finished watching only the 3rd or 4th DVD... I felt like the purchase had already been worth it at that time... so the rest of the material/DVDs/gimmicks at that point was just icing on the cake! :)
If you have the money for this, I would recommend it. There is a good variety of thought-provoking and enjoyable magic tricks in here.
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BEST PURCHASE EVER
[Verified buyer] by Anonymous from Saskatchewan, Canada on 06/23/2010 06:02:51
This DVD set was worth every penny that I spent on it. While some people are saying the tricks are generally easy I would not really encourage a beginner to start here. For intermediate and advanced magicians though, what a wealth of excellent material with TOP NOTCH production. You can sense the pride that went into creating this product and everyone involved did a superb job, in my opinion. If you have the cash and the desire to learn definitely buy this! Just take your time going through this after it arrives by learning at least one trick from each DVD before watching the next.
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Mixed feelings
[Verified buyer] by Zack77766 from USA on 06/10/2010 21:25:45
If you choose to buy this I think there is at least something for everyone. I do have some favorite effects, such as twilight angels, growing card, ripped and fryed, and reswindled just to name a few. For the most part the interviews were pretty good.
With all that in mind I have some bad things to say. I honestly don't think it's worth 300 bucks. First disappontment was that I got one of the plain wooden boxes, not one of the lock types. Chances are good unless you bought TA the month it came out, you're getting the plain box. Second disappointment is a lot of the tricks in this set requires some form of destruction, whether it's a card, deck, or whatever. Third disappointment was that 300 dollar cost, which I don't think was justified.
To sum up, if I had the choice, I think I would ask for a refund. Don't get me wrong, most of the effects/interviews were very good. I just don't think all of this is worth 300 bucks. If it was 200 bucks then I would keep it. With 300 bucks you can buy a lot of things that would be better than this.
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simple is the best
[Verified buyer] by waloya from s a on 05/25/2010 19:21:46
I bought the True Astonishment set after reading the hype and looking at every review. I would say that the majority of the other reviews of this product are right. The set comes in a beautiful wooden box with 9 dvds and the props you need to perform. The tricks are quite modest but like every great magic trick the audience will be astounded. If you are on the fence about spending the $300 for the set I would say without hesitation buy it.
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