Awesome Magic

Good close-up magic makes our brains hurt. Justin Flom’s musical trickery doesn’t disappoint, as he perfectly syncs up his card draws with his musical soundtrack. (Thanks, Justin!)

We stared at this clip until our eyeballs bled, but still have no idea how magician Akira Fujii managed to pull off this close-up illusion with a couple of cigarettes in his hands.

Bob Arno is a charismatic, witty and intelligent man. A perfect mix of characteristics for a thief. Watch as Arno charms the audience while stealing their watches, ties and even their underwear.

Illusionist Jason Latimer often incorporates modern technology into his performances, like in this Magic Castle show in 2006, where Latimer seems to make a laser beam become solid at will.

Sometimes it’s fun to go to a more soothing place than extreme sports videos. Take, for example, the charming, carcinogen-filled style of Tom Noddy, the skillful trick bubblemaker. (Thanks Dave!)

Australian magician James Galea shares a simple story in mind-boggling fashion, seemingly making a pack of cards match his tale even though the deck has been shuffled and cut.

Gavin McIness of Street Carnage pulls off the world’s most disgusting card trick. When you meet this man on the street and he asks you to pick a card, any card from his deck, don’t. Just don’t.

Sorcerer’s Apprentice conjures up a second trailer; it’s similar to the first, albeit with new dialog and a better look at the wonderfully creepy (and crawly) villain played by Alfred Molina.

Hogwarts meets the ‘hood with Dangerous Wands, a parody of Dangerous Minds; Hermione teaches at a school on the wrong side of Azkaban with Voldemort as a potion pusher.

If magic is all smoke and mirrors, weareom’s Chop Cup fully embodies this on a meta level; we won’t spoil it for you, but let’s just say this short film is a mind-bending play on perception.

theory11 seems like it’s back to its old tricks with Genesis v1, but it’s actually a slick, magic-free training DVD with 30 moves that teach you how to flourish cards–aka, the art of cardistry.

You know it’s a good when Apple rejects it for being tricky: Theory11 brings the magic to the iPhone and iPod Touch with Rising Card; it’s a new take on an old mind-reading card trick.

Harry Potter takes a back seat to Vegas’ most puffed-up performers in Douchebag Magicians; Criss Angel, Copperfield, and Blaine try their hand against Voldemort with messy results.

Some of the best magic tricks are done on the spot; theory11 pulls five rabbits out of its hat with Symphony, a collection of impromptu tricks that are perfect for street performers.

In addition to card decks like Propaganda, we didn’t realize theory11 also has a library of magic tricks; their latest is called BLIND by danielMadison, a prediction plot with two different decks.