Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: There He Goes by Patsy Cline

I've been A fan of John Bannon for a long time. His effects from Impossibilia and Smoke and Mirrors are some of the first things that I ever studied in magic. This is a two DVD set that has a lot of great footage. There are some excellent effects and some great interview segments. Bannon has such a laid-back style and he's so down-to-earth and likeable that it's just fun to watch him perform.

You'll find no knuckle-busting moves on this set, but what you will find is simple and effective magic that's easy to perform. The 'Origami Concept' and 'Mr. Fantasy' stuff is killer. I was fooled by it on the video and in person by another magician. I really liked the interview segments. I wish there were more because you really get to see what's inside of Bannon's head and why he thinks the way he does about magic. He had a few opinions that I suspect rub some magicians the wrong way. I didn't entirely agree with them all, but they were very thought provoking.

Bannon also had a few great lines to open some of the effects that I thought were very clever. Simply put, Bannon is a thinker. He thinks about magic; things about plot, premise, performance, effect and so much more. Even if you don't watch the tricks, get this DVD set (especially at the asking price) for the chance to see why he does what he does. Knowing why others do what they do is often the impetus for developing your own methods and philosophy about magic. Of the stuff I've recently reviewed, this is by far the best value for the money, and to top it all off, he's the only guy in recent DVD watching who didn't say 'That's How I got it' when he retrieved a pen from a spectator.

Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Absolute GEM.