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David Penn: David Penn LectureOn this DVD, David Penn, a busy worker in the UK, offers a collection of commercial effects and useful utility moves. It’s a compilation of fresh ideas and I think that most will find something useful from his work.It’s in the Business CardsIn Biz Card Transpo, a spectator draws an image on the back of a business card. You follow by drawing an “X” on the back of another business card. After some byplay, the spectator’s card turns into the card with the “X,” and you’re holding the card with the spectator’s drawing. Another commercial effect with business cards, Design Duplication allows you to somehow reproduce a spectator’s drawing on a business card. I didn’t care too much for this one. I found the handling to be questionable under lots of heat.The EightsThe Black Eight is a card trick where a spectator’s “freely” chosen card, an eight of clubs, becomes a billiard ball, the black eight ball. This is a powerful trick, a variation on a routine by John Bannon. Penn gets into metal bending with his Tine Bend Subtlety. Here he teaches a way to openly display a fork before the tine “bends,” even though the dirty work has already been performed. In Psychological Spoon Bend, Penn teaches you a straight-forward spoon bend routine with solid, built-in misdirection. Penn’s Salt Inspector is a production and vanish of a salt shaker. For this, you’ll need to be wearing modified clothing. I thoroughly liked Penn’s Linking Laces where two ungimmicked shoelaces that are placed behind your neck somehow link together. This is a definite winner.4th DimensionPenn’s Circle to the Forth Dimension is an unusual coin and ring routine. Using a ring that’s approximately 4-inches in diameter, a coin disappears from your hand when you reach through the ring and later comes back from the ring. I’m intrigued with the handwash that Penn teaches that allows you seemingly show your hands empty. There’s also a cool jumbo coin production and vanish at the end. This is a commercial and entertaining routine. The DVD teaches several utility moves. Penn’s visual Color Change, which modifies the top card, is comparable to a standard Erdnase change, but the fingers can be held wide apart. This one will appeal to magicians. Penn also teaches a method to vanish a single playing card that resembles a “rub a dub dub vanish.” This one looks great and you won’t have to rub your hand on your thigh to vanish the card.Hit the DeckV.D.C.C.A.W. offers a good method, actually it’s a combination of a gimmick and modified clothing, to make an entire deck of cards disappear. I liked Penn’s Glass of Water Production, a variation on a well known Patrick Page routine. Here, Penn borrows a spectator’s jacket and amazingly, produces the glass of water from its sleeve. If you perform Penn’s “Coinvexed,” there’s a discussion with Craig Petty where Penn offers useful variations on the routine. The explanations are good, but many of the effects lack performance footage. With many, Penn simply goes right into the instructions and explains the effect on the fly. While the DVD is rather expensive and there’s no real cohesive theme, other than Penn himself, it’s generally good. I found a thing or two here that I want to work on. MSRP: (US) $40 (from about.com)NOTE: This can be watched with vlc or Real PlayerEjoy!