Hi Everyone.
Here's a review for this excellent DVD by J.C. Wagner.
Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced.
The DVD has the usual Meir Yedid intro with the music.
So, the DVD begins with the usual MY Magic intro, and goes straight into the performances of the tricks. The explanations come after ALL the performances.
My opinion about J.C: I think he's a GREAT magician. By the title, you can tell that this DVD has it's meaning-commercial magic, and there's A LOT of great material on this tape, or DVD rather. J.C. is one of the best bar magicians in the world today. If you haven't had a chance to see the guest of the month list here in the Café', then check out the J.C. Wagner list. It's full of great advice from one of the best! I use a lot of the routines from the DVD, actually everything.
J.C. is a good teacher, and he takes the time to explain everything. My ratings for each effect is based on the effect itself, not the skill level. I'm stating the skill level (in my opinion) in the description of each trick, and talk about how much I like it. Anyway, the effects?

The Card Under The Drink: This is the classic J.C. Wagner routine where selected and thought-of cards continually vanish from the deck and appear under a drinking glass that is in full view. This is one of my favourites on the DVD. It's a classic of magic. However, like J.C. says on the DVD, if you want to perform it correctly, you have to get caught. This effect is not easy to do. You will have to work on your misdirection. But DON'T let that discourage you. This is one of the best tricks out there. DO practice it, and DO learn it. You won't be disappointed.
Great trick!
Rating 10/10

Estimation Routines: Thought-of cards are found using the most devious methods in the arsenal of a card magician -- estimation, instincts and outs. This is a series of routines. These tricks are good to learn. J.C. demonstrates and teaches how he finds a spectator's THOUGHT Of card by the spectator just looking at one, in another routine a spectator's thought of card ends up under the ash tray that's been in full view (same method for card under the drink), and another routine the magician takes out a card, when the spectator names his card the magician shows the card he took out is not the correct one, then he takes the card and snaps it and it changes to the spectator's selection (Ed Marlo's Snap Change). Again, these are good, solid routines, and J.C. teaches you many outs for each routine in case the cards he took out are the wrong ones.
I use these tricks a lot!
Rating: 10/10

Entertainment Tacks: J.C.'s card on the ceiling routine where the deck is wrapped with a borrowed bill and a rubber band. The signed selection and bill end up thumb tacked to the ceiling. This is one of my favourites. This routine, unlike the Ammar card to ceiling, does NOT require magician's wax. All you need to do is have some rubber bands on you, a thumb tack, and borrow the bill from spectators (it's always a good thing to borrow the articles instead of using your own).
I love this trick!
Rating: 10/10

Bandorama: A card revelation where the selected card spins out of a rubber banded deck. O.K., I can't recommend this highly enough. This is one of my very, very, very favourite tricks from this DVD. This trick is so entertaining, and it's DEAD easy to do (pretty much self working after you've done the work correctly). There are no gimmicks. Totally impromptu. Just a deck and two rubber bands. I love it when J.C. raises his voice and scares the hell out of the spectators when the selected card pops out of the deck. It's hilarious.
This is one of my best card revelations I learned.
Wonderful trick!
Rating: 10/10

Poor Man's Matrix: A classic matrix routine using pennies and two kicker endings producing a large penny followed by a giant penny. Another cool one I use a lot. This trick requires a few (but cheap) props. A Jumbo penny and a smaller sized penny (bigger than the standard, real pennies). But the trick is wonderful. After all of the pennies assembled under the one card, J.C. produces a large penny, and if you "missed" that one, he produces a jumbo penny under the cards. It's an amazing climax. This routine will take practice, but it's not difficult. Give it a try!
Rating: 10/10

Spectral Silk: Herbie the invisible Flea assists in finding a selected card while the cards are wrapped in a handkerchief. The handkerchief comes to life as the flea moves around as it finds the card. This is a cute trick. This trick requires a prop which I don't have, but those who do have it, will use this great routine. The prop required is called the haunted handkerchief, or the Hyrum Hanky whatever you'd like to call it. So, all I have to say is, the routine is very entertaining (it scare the heck out of the spectator J.C. did the trick on because the spectator says at the end "that flea scared me", and of course making jokes out of it).
So if you have the gimmick, this wonderful routine will become a regular in your repertoire.
Rating 10/10

Dyslexic Queens: A card assembly with a kicker ending where the four Queens assemble in one packet and instantly vanish and appear back where they started.
This is, without a doubt, one of the best items on this DVD if not the best, and probably the one I use the most often. It's hands down, one of my favourite assemblies out there. And this trick, ladies and gentlemen, is TOTALLY impromptu. There are no gaffs what so ever. And it's so magical. Each vanish of the queens is great and becomes more and more dramatic when you show all four queens arriving at the last packet. For the part when you show four queens arriving at the last packet, you learn a great move, and it's Larry Jennings' Rhythm Count, which you apparently display four queens. It's a great, and briliant move. When done properly, in the right rhythm, your spectators won't notice a thing. So do practice the Rhythm Count. But the real kicker of the routine is when you make the queens, now at the last packet, jump back to their original packets right back where they started. Like I said, I use this routine probably most often than any other routine on this DVD. This routine requires you to execute several Elmsley counts which are required for this routine. If you haven't mastered your elmsley count, do so, not only for this routine, but many others out there in card magic.
One of the best items on this DVD.
Rating: 20/10 (I mean that literally).

The World's Fastest Card Trick: A selected card is found in a quick and flourishy way using the Pop-Up Revelation. The description says it all. This trick probably is the fastest out there. It's probably 7 to 10 seconds if not more. J.C. teaches you the pop up revelation, out of Expert Card Technique. It will take some practice, and it's really only a knacky move. It's not difficult.
Great quick trick!
Rating: 10/10

The Wagnerian Miracle: A spectator looks at a card in the deck. After the spectator cuts the deck a few times you name the position of the thought of card. Includes a memorized deck presentation and strategy. This trick uses obviously memorization, but it doesn't require a memorized stack as I recall. J.C. teaches you how to remember the location of the card, but it doesn't require a memorized deck. It's a good trick to learn. Not much to say, except learn it, and create a good presentation, and you'll have your self a real miracle.
Rating: 10/10

Would I Lie To You?: An easy lie detector routine where a card is found by spelling the spectator's answers to some questions which they can lie to. Well, the title says it all. It's a lie detector routine. It's pretty easy to do, it requires a minimal set up, not difficult. This is a good trick. I use it a lot. The fact that you tell the spectators that you can lie and tell the truth, that encourages them to throw in some lies, and that pretty much impresses people, becuase you still manage to find their selected card.
Good routine!
Rating: 10/10

Next, the very last thing is the spread control. J.C. says that in commercial magic (the book), he didn't really give it all away, so he has done that here on the DVD commercial magic. What would happen is, while J.C. would do a trick, and the bar would become busy, he would have to go and make drinks to customers. So, before he would, he would memorize the selected card (I'm not going to give the method away), and when he'll come back to the spectator, he would spread the cards and magically produce his card, or name it. It's also a wonderful item I use quite often.
That's pretty much the end of the DVD. Also explained are the many techniques used within the routines. You will learn the Utility Spread Control, Pop-Up Revelation, Rhythm Count, Knuckle Jog, Snap Change, Two-Step Bottom Palm and much more.
This is one of the best DVDs I own.
Rating for the DVD: 10/10

Highly Recommended. Purchase it from Penguin Magic, Meir Yedid. I also, HIGHLY recommend MORE Commercial Magic DVD Volume 2 by J.C. Wagner.
With respect,

Michael