Random I-Tunes Song of the Moment: Coward of The County by Kenny Rogers.

I know many of you couldn't care less about what I'm listening to when I write these reviews. However, a lot you 'get' it . . . First, the songs I list truly are the ones that happen to randomly play at the moment I happen to be writing the review. Secondly, the song title or a lyric from it often helps in the creative process giving me a nice opening line or segue . . . and an alarming number of times, the song could be the theme song for the review or the product . . .

That being said, I should point out that Coward of The County is the perfect underdog story that inspires us all . . . in my mind this is Steve Dobson's story (and mine to a large degree). I don't know Dobson personally or even that much about him, but based on a few interview segments on the DVD, we get to know him a little bit, and on a personal level I can truly relate to him, so with that as a background, I'll try hard to not be biased.

What I saw on this DVD was 6 tricks that ranged from weak to totally commercial and powerful. But what I really saw was a guy who overcame an awkward youth of constant ridicule and mocking by becoming a very good entertainer (You Could've Heard a Pin Drop . . . when Tommy stopped and locked the door . . .) Dobson is very good in front of a crowd. He was funny and confident (for the most part), and really interacted with his audience. He was with them, not at them.

With that as a background, basically what you get a $1.00 per minute fee to watch the video ($35.00 - 35 minutes). You get six tricks as I mentioned that range from Weak (a 1) to Amazing (a 5)

Here's the breakdown from my perspective:

Coins Across (3) - nothing really original, but it's a nice smooth presentation. The best part of this is that you see it in front of a live audience and there's a lot to learn from that interaction

Aces to Jacks (2.5) - a decent packet trick with a kicker ending - again, nothing too original, but a pretty good trick

The Otherworld Poker Hand (3.5) - a lot of mileage out of a few cards with a very logical presentation and again performed in front of a live audience

The Portable Hole (4.5) - A solid presentation with some beautiful vanishes . . . and Dobson's retention vanish is beautiful

All Backs (4.5) - not entirely revolutionary (and not my favorite plot), but one of the most convincing and deceptive handlings of the plot I've ever seen

My First Card Trick (.5) - Ok . . . it's a decent premise, but there's a certain way you have to set up the cards and you're never shown how to get into this in a presentation, and it's not the kind of thing you can before the show. You have to do it in front of the audience.

In the 'bonus' section, you get to see the studio performance of the two effects (Coins across and Otherworld Poker Hand) that were shown in front of a live audience. Plus you get to see a performance only segment of the classic 'spectator cuts to the aces' plot. Again . . . a lot to be learned from watching Dobson live.

Granted, he made some mistakes, in my opinion. He made a couple of comments that, in my opinion, were insulting to the audience, but for the most part he was nice and friendly and truly connected with them on many levels.

If you're looking for new stuff . . . don't bother. If you're looking to see a pro perform, then consider it. Nothing here is earth-shattering, but there are some gems and some wisdom to be mined if you're watching for it. The average rating of the effects alone is a 3 on a 1 to 5 scale. However, the overall score is pinged a little bit for the price and the fact that nothing really new is being presented . . . however the score gains a little bit of ground due to the value of learning from a pro with Dobson's experience . . . All in all, this is a decent DVD that's slightly over priced.

Final Verdict:
2.5 stars with a Stone Status of grubble.