Product Reviews in Genii

[Steve Mills]

I'll have to admit I really enjoy it when one of the reviewers gets really torqued and whizzes all over a DVD. Frequently I learn something too.

From my perspective I get the most out of Genii reviews on products I'm on the fence about. e.g. I would doubt many were on the line about the recent Bill Malone DVDs. By the time we get the reviews on major releases, I would imagine most have made up their minds about purchasing. I personally read them for the reviewers perspective and to see what he considered the highlights / lowlights.

I have also become increasingly skeptical as we get to release 3 - 4 - 5........ of most performers. Most tend to run out of good material on their first release or certainly by the second.

Of course, the hidden gems are always fun.

Just some thoughts.

[Rennie]

My pet peeve is the reviewer who gives a glowing review of a really bad effect, which I of course purchase only to find that it is really bad.
My example in this case is "Killer Red Caps" which was probably the worst effect I had purchased in 20 years (which is a pretty decent record). Why anyone would give that a good review is beyond me. Sometimes I feel the reviewer may be a good friend of the inventor, which is unfair to the buying public. I may be wrong, but that is how I feel.
Rennie

[Brad Henderson]

I used Killer Red Caps to land a major trade show client and used it a the final content driven piece of that show. To me, it was underpriced.

Having said that, I couldn't use it at first. My girlfriend at the time was pointing "it's under there, now it's there" days before I could tell.

So, it was frustrating, but the work I spend on it paid off.

This is why context in a review is important. When someone merely says "this is good" or "this is bad" we have nothing to go on. But when you know who the reviewer is, what they found in the trick, and what issues they had and why, hopefully it makes it easier to make an informed purchasing decision.

[Bob Farmer]

I bought the same trick from Supreme Magic when I was living in England in the mid 70s. It was called "Color-Matic" and I think I paid about $5.

There is a really good routine, "The Third Eye," for these props in FEATURE MAGIC FOR MENTALISTS by Will Dexter published in 1974 by Supreme Magic (pp. 60-66). Dexter says the trick was invented in 1960 by either or both of Oscar Oswald or Harry Baron.

Incidentally, the red caps that come with the junk magic dice trick (the one where a die is placed into two little black cylinders, one inside the other) work perfectly for this.

[Jim Morton]

At this point, nearly every viewpoint has been covered, but here's my 2 cents FWIW.

I don't think a review is, or has ever been, about "buy this," or "don't buy this." A well-written review is one that not only explains why the reviewer did not like a book or DVD, but one that also adds to the reader's edification and understanding of magic.

This is why many of us look forward to Jamy Ian Swiss's pans as much as we do to his picks. Whether he likes or dislikes something, Mr. Swiss always explains the thinking behind his opinions, and his reasons are usually well thought out.

Sure, bad reviews are horrible for the person on the receiving end of them. I've been there, and I know how much it hurts. I also know that when the bad reviews were written from a place of intelligence, and relative objectivity, they made me think and actually helped make my work better.

I understand the commercial reasons for not wanting to give bad reviews. It is not unheard of for an advertiser to withdraw from advertising in a magazine when they get a bad review. Even so, I heartily cast my vote for the full range of reviews. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Jim