50 Ways to Rock a Lighter

I wish I had a nickel for every time a video producer has told me (erroneously) that his or her program was “unique.” But I have to admit that 50 Ways to Rock a Lighter is the real deal: taught by Alex Aarvik (with help from Julius Holtet), the DVD presents 50 Zippo lighter tricks—i.e., innovative ways to spark a flame involving a fair amount of sleight of hand and juggling—ranging from “Back and Forth” (one-handedly walking the lighter across the knuckles) to the “Twilight Zone” (in which the flame disappears, then mysteriously reappears). Not all of the names of tricks make sense (I'm a little lost, for example, on the exact meaning of entries such as “Oppressor Pig” or “Wet Panties”), but others, like “One Move Almost” and “Backdraft 2” are perfectly named. Each of the tricks is shown in real-time, in close-up (from two angles), and in slow-motion, making it easy for viewers to follow the motions, and the DVD also includes sections on 24 basic skills (flips, squeezes, etc.), maintenance (such as changing the flint and adjusting the flame), and the option to watch all of the tricks strung together. According to the box, the language is “none—self-explainatory” [sic], which suggests that the lads are indeed more familiar with Zippos than typos. Misspellings aside, this is a nifty little how-to. Recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)