There was a time when the only reality show on television was the news, and the rest of the schedule was full of fiction. Now it seems there's little but 'reality ' on the box, while conversely some of the most entertaining and comical fiction is on Fox News. The edges have become very blurred and Criss Angel Mindfreak does little to clarify things.
It's billed as a reality show about a magician, who's also a member of a heavy metal band. It also showcases his music, live street magic, some behind-the-curtain preparation and his family life. Part Marilyn Manson, part David Blaine with a touch of Alan Partridge, we follow Angel around as he spouts mystical nonsense, including this gem: 'A lot of what I do is completely real. There are no tricks. It really is the mind, body, and spirit connection. And a lot of what I do is an illusion. It's up to you to determine what is real and what is... illusion.' As well as talking like a tipsy teenage goth at a Ouija board party, he does some impressive tricks and stunts. These include levitation, setting himself on fire to 'honour' his mother on her 70th birthday and lying on a bed of nails as a Hummer drives over him. If you like magic tricks and the colour black, this show should entertain.
He may well look and talk like the sort of person you'd never get tired of punching, but as tricksters go he's one of the best. The Academy of Magical Arts at Hollywood's Magic Castle a place so pretentious it's powered entirely by the magicians' sense of self-importance named him 2005 Magician of the Year. Angel is so confident in his abilities, he once publicly challenged magic's other infant terrible David Blaine, saying if Blaine could perform a trick that he couldn't replicate on the spot then he would retire. Somewhat tellingly, Blaine never took up the challenge, although to be fair, Criss is yet to live in a box for 40 days and be abused by Londoners.
Most of the tricks have been done before by the likes of Penn & Teller (who are friends of Criss) but all the same, some of these stunts are really great fun. That is, unless you watched one of those 'magician's tricks revealed' series and you'll know how a lot of them were done. For those who didn't peek behind the curtain, this won't freak your mind as the title promises, but it will set it off thinking about how he did it. And these days, a TV programme that makes you think is a rare trick indeed.
It's billed as a reality show about a magician, who's also a member of a heavy metal band. It also showcases his music, live street magic, some behind-the-curtain preparation and his family life. Part Marilyn Manson, part David Blaine with a touch of Alan Partridge, we follow Angel around as he spouts mystical nonsense, including this gem: 'A lot of what I do is completely real. There are no tricks. It really is the mind, body, and spirit connection. And a lot of what I do is an illusion. It's up to you to determine what is real and what is... illusion.' As well as talking like a tipsy teenage goth at a Ouija board party, he does some impressive tricks and stunts. These include levitation, setting himself on fire to 'honour' his mother on her 70th birthday and lying on a bed of nails as a Hummer drives over him. If you like magic tricks and the colour black, this show should entertain.
He may well look and talk like the sort of person you'd never get tired of punching, but as tricksters go he's one of the best. The Academy of Magical Arts at Hollywood's Magic Castle a place so pretentious it's powered entirely by the magicians' sense of self-importance named him 2005 Magician of the Year. Angel is so confident in his abilities, he once publicly challenged magic's other infant terrible David Blaine, saying if Blaine could perform a trick that he couldn't replicate on the spot then he would retire. Somewhat tellingly, Blaine never took up the challenge, although to be fair, Criss is yet to live in a box for 40 days and be abused by Londoners.
Most of the tricks have been done before by the likes of Penn & Teller (who are friends of Criss) but all the same, some of these stunts are really great fun. That is, unless you watched one of those 'magician's tricks revealed' series and you'll know how a lot of them were done. For those who didn't peek behind the curtain, this won't freak your mind as the title promises, but it will set it off thinking about how he did it. And these days, a TV programme that makes you think is a rare trick indeed.