Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Lightning Crashes by Live

For $18.00 bucks, you get six self working effects that range from decent to KILLER.

The DVD menu and navigation was fine. The lighting, sounds, etc was great. No complaints about the production quality. Before I discuss the effects, allow me this word of caution . . . don't perform the 'flirty' effects the way Dowden does. He was very awkward - borderline embarrassing himself - with the girls that he performed for on the DVD. He was joking about getting phone numbers, etc.

The way he went about it was just embarrasing, and is exactly why magicians get a bad reputation.

That aside, let's look at the effects . . . they're actually not bad. Below you'll find the effect title, ad copy, my comments and a star rating.

Effect Name: ULTIMATE PHONE PREDICTION

Ad Copy: Any Card. The magician NEVER TOUCHES THE DECK, yet a person on the other side of the world KNOWS where their card is from the top of the deck! Simply amazing & a real magician fooler!

My Comments: This is the best trick on the DVD hands down. It's very powerful and very impossible seeming and very, very easy to do.

Star Rating: 5.5 (out of five)

Effect Name: COMPATABILITY TEST

Ad Copy: Mathhew's unique version. Just watch the reactions...

My Comments: Notice that they spelled his name wrong in the ad copy. On the DVD, Dowden would often preface the presentation of an effect by telling me (the viewer) to 'Just watch the reactions.' Then . . . cut to performance . . . weak reactions. This was no exception. Dowden appeared to be a desperate and lonely guy trying a lame pick up line (in the form of a card trick) to hook up with a girl in the crowd. The trick is a 'do as I do' effect with two decks and a lot of deck switching that has no meaning. The trick isn't clean nor is it direct. It's watered down with lame attempts to pick up 'chicks' and a garbled performance.

Star Rating: 1

Effect Name: LISTEN EAR

Ad Copy: Simple to do. Superb!

My Comments: Same trick and method as Ultimate Phone Prediction only nowhere near as amazing. This should have been an afterthought to the Ultimate Phone Prediction . . . a footnote that said, if you don't have a partner that you can work with on the phone, here's another way to do this.

Star Rating: 2

Effect Name: POKER PUZZLE

Ad Copy: A chosen card completes the perfect poker hand. Looks like real skill, but is really easy to do!

My Comments: I like this one . . . it takes a couple old ideas and brings them together in a cohesive routine. I'm actually considering working on this one for my own repertoire

Star Rating: 3.5

Effect Name: MATCH.COM

Ad Copy: The ultimate matching card trick. All from a borrowed shuffled deck of cards.

My Comments: The methods for all of these tricks are all old as the hills as they say. The only thing Dowden brings to the table on any of these effects is a presentational premise. Sometimes it's good; sometimes it's not. In this particular effect the addition is worthy of consideration. The method is basically the same as my effect Jacked Up which is based on the marketed effect called Kaleidoscope Cards. I'm considering using his presentational premise for Jacked Up. It fits.

Star Rating: 3.5

Effect Name: SOLE SURVIVOR

Ad Copy: A chosen card vanishes and appears in the magicians shoe!

My Comments: Not a fan of card in shoe . . . especially not a fan of handing the spectator a card that's been in my shoe for a few hours . . . especially not a fan of magicians touching the inside of their shoes and then shaking my hand. There is nothing new (weird . . . right as I wrote the words 'nothing new' Axl Rose was singing those very words from You Could Be Mine) added by Dowden. The effect is ok . . . a chosen card vanishes and reappears in your shoe. Old as the hills folks.

Star Rating: 1.5

Overall, I feel pretty good about recommending this DVD soley on the merits of the Ultimate Phone Prediction. This is an incredible effect.

The overall average of the effects is 2.8. Add in the low price and the fact that there are a couple of really good ideas and one super good idea, and I'm very comfortable in giving this a 3 star rating. Thus . . .

Final Verdict:
3 stars with a Stone Status of Gem.