This may not be the best Penguin Live lecture I've ever seen but it just might be the worst.

Beyond the dearth of effects, we were presented with a performer whose lack of energy indicated a disinterest in his own material. He behaved like he didn't even want to be there. He spent so much time hanging back in the shadows, it was like looking at a bare stage for a large portion of the time. His frequent handing out of gifts to the Penguin audience didn't seem to accomplish much (beyond killing time).

Most of the tidbits he offered seemed anticlimactic (for example, how having someone hand you something establishes a relationship) and left me saying, "Yeah, so?" Some ideas seemed like something out of a Girl Scout book on slumber party tricks.

Some of the handful of effects he did demonstrate require an additional purchase of a PDF or prop.

It was not a good night for effects involving nickels. Both the nickel-on-the-bottle trick (which didn't work) and the spinning nickel effect (which requires the purchase of a prop) seemed to go on for an uncomfortably long period of time.

Considering the performer's appearance and demeanor, his claims of making buckets of money from this material may have to be taken with a pinch of salt. His claims of getting a lot of free drinks, however, seem somewhat more credible.

I normally don't write negative reviews, but I felt that this lecture needed to be written about. Many have loved the work and you can compare their take on the night to my own. Here are a few negatives:
1. Lack of structure-it seemed as it there had been very little planning as to the flow of the evening.
2. Lack of effect-much of what was passed off as seeming miracles just didn't seem like much of an effect. The "Angel lifting" was a perfect example. Simply because a person's hands get tired the audience thinks an angel is lifting them up? Several things (nickel on bottle) didn't even work.
3. Lack of explanation-there were many times when the phrase "if you want to learn that I wrote a PDF on it" was used. I don't want to purchase another PDF after I have bought the lecture.
As to the ethics of passing oneself off as a real psychic, you decide on the propriety of that. I find it troubling.
Again, several reviewers seemed to like the lecture so take their comments into account as well, but for me, this was not a purchase I would make again.

I found Bill Montana's lecture to be of little value. Some of his effects didn't work. Those that did had little impact. At times the audience didn't even know when the effect was over or when to applaud. The psychology Montana imparts is superficial. Montana's performance style is sloppy. Some of the gambling effects/games may be useful if you like cons. As usual Dan Harlan did a great job of trying to help the audience glean value from the lecture, but Dad had little or nothing to work with. I recommend you save your money and time. Skip this lecture.

First off,

I have to say that I am not against the elemental form of mentalism that Bill promotes. It is a lot of principles and impromptu, prop-less stuff which is great! I found a few great ideas in here. problem is his presentation was sooo bad. I can't imagine this guy speaking to a crowd of hundreds, much less performing magic. His speech was mumbled and all over the place, his teaching all over the place and he paced all over the stage spending more time in the dark than under the stage lights. I have to imagine that he asked that the stage be darkened because it has never looked like that before.

I could not believe how many effects went wrong and how long he forced us to watch him try to get things to work. I sat for several minutes while he tried to spin coins on a table that was un-even by about 6 inches. He then insulted us by trying to do another effect where he spins another item on the same table before he decides they should maybe try another table.

This made it seem much like a lesson in how not to do magic. I can't imagine how he works in any other venue when he doesn't check out the setting before he tries an effect.

Another portion of the show is lost to Bill giving out gifts. Really. Could he have not done this after the camera stopped rolling?

To Dan Harlen's credit, he keeps things moving by actually explaining many of the effects to the audience when Bill's quick mumblings aren't able to do so.

I would give many of Bills ideas more stars, at least the ones that didn't require me to get something that is difficult or even impossible to find, if he had actually explained them well.

Another issue was the ethics of what he was doing. He comes off as a charlatan and not in a good way. When asked if he really believes in the "energy" and "angels" that he talks of he says "Why Not." I feel that a large portion of the magic community, perhaps even more so in mentalism, is fighting against psychic fairs and other woo. This man is welcoming it. For that alone I have to mark him down several notches in my book. I don't even know how to react to that. He does have a history as a Faith Healer. I have to roll my eyes at that.

Over all this man just felt dirty and the lecture was very poor. I can't imagine how this man holds the attention of a real audience.

Almost unwatchable... Terribly presented, horribly explained... But peppered with interesting effects. Some old science demos, some old theatre school exercises.

Bill shoulda stayed a mystery, I think, he did his material a disservice.

I gravitate towards the dark, subtle and esoteric, and usually try to be supportive of other performers in this genre. That being said, I was disappointed by this lecture. I knew Bill's name, but was not familiar with his work, as it is usually released as extremely expensive PDFs that I can't afford. When I saw that there was going to be a lecture, I was very excited to learn these mysteries that had been out of my reach, and taught by an expert. I was expecting a masterclass in bizarre magic.... Which it wasn't.

The presentation seemed unprepared and unrehearsed. The lack of confidence as a public presenter, and the questionable successes of the material leads me to beleive that Bill is more "theoretical" than "real-world" as a performer. Maybe I am wrong, and if so apologize. When I watch a lecture, in any field I am interested in, I am wanting insights from a professional who can share the skills and experiences that allowed them to succeed in their vocational arena. I did not get that from this lecture.

You will find at least a few things useful, and some of his ideas will definitely get your creative juices flowing, regardless of your genre as a performer, but there were no "aha!" moments. I was expecting professional, but it wasn't...

How to review this lecture without sounding critical is tough. I was really looking forward to learning more about Bill Montana and his methods.

First Mr Montana hid in the shadows and it was hard to follow along. He jumped around so fast and did not discuss the fine points of what he was doing - Dan did a good job of trying to fill in the missing pieces. Many of the effects required purchasing a PDF or special prop. Overall the lecture came across as un-rehearsed and meandered all over the place. It is obvious Mr Montana knows what he is talking about unfortunately he is not a good at lecturing.

Are there usable techniques or effects - Yes. You really have to pay attention and watch a couple of times. Unfortunately his explanations are so short and incomplete a beginner will be completely lost.

Overall I rate this a 3 star because I did learn something though at times this was painful to watch. Allot of dead time - for example Mr Montana was very generous in giving out gifts to the audience members but this took allot of time.

I was really optimistic about this lecture and sadly was really disappointed. In all seriousness, it felt like they grabbed a guy out of the bar and put him in front of a camera with a staff and few props and told him to just make stuff up for a couple of hours. Bill seemed really unprepared. It was a major waste of my time. I kept watching honestly because it was like watching a train wreck. They whole time I thought, there is no way this guy is being serious. This can't be real. But I was hoping for redemption. Dan Harlan is the only thing that keeps this lecture from unraveling.

Montana's lecture is likely to be the worst lecture this year. I watched only half of it because I couldn't take it anymore. When he's not wondering around the stage into the darkness, he's giving away prizes like a middle school guest speaker who's job is to get the kids to listen to his message to "not do drugs, kids".

The very few tricks he showed, did not work. And just when he starts talking about an interesting theory or method and starts to get to the nitty gritty, he looses his train of thought and goes off to something else.

He might be a good performer in the kind of conventions he goes to, but he is definitely not a good public speaker, lecturer and teacher.

Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

I won't go into the the unprofessional, unorganized, hot mess this thing was, that has been covered. This is psychic fair con stuff. And, not good ones either IMHO. To be fair, there were small ideas that maybe someone might use. But, given the other lectures in this series, this one is subpar to say the least. If you want to see a person professionally perform his effects this is not the lecture. If you want bar bets, this might be the one except few of them actually worked. Take a pass.