Hannibal DVD

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Hannibal
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Hannibal DVD

Postby Hannibal » March 6th, 2014, 8:58 am

I submitted a copy to Joe M. Turner for review in the magazine; who do I need to send one to for review here?

Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Hannibal DVD

Postby Jonathan Townsend » March 6th, 2014, 9:44 am

The TV series?
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

Bill Mullins
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Re: Hannibal DVD

Postby Bill Mullins » March 6th, 2014, 10:14 am

No, Jon, Chris Hanniabal's DVD.

Chris -- Tom Frame does us all a favor with his detailed reviews. See here.

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Tom Frame
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Re: Hannibal DVD

Postby Tom Frame » March 6th, 2014, 12:40 pm

Hello Chris,

I'll be happy to review your DVD. Please send it to me at:

527A 21st Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94121

I look forward to devouring it.


Regards,

Tom

tomframe1@comcast.net

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Tom Frame
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Re: Hannibal DVD

Postby Tom Frame » April 5th, 2014, 3:20 pm

Hannibal: The Truth From a Liar (2-DVD set) by Chris Hannibal $39.99
Running time: 4 hours
Available at: http://www.vanishingincmagic.com


I’ve never seen Chris Hannibal perform, but I had heard good things about him and I knew that he won the People’s Choice award at the IBM convention several years ago. So I was pleased as punch when he sent this product to me for review. At last, I could see him in action! I was not disappointed.

Mr. Hannibal has impressive chops. It’s also readily apparent that he is an eternal student of close-up magic who has studied and been inspired by the classic texts. He thinks deeply about affairs of the art.

But more importantly, he is a witty, engaging, delightful performer. He clothes some of his effects with autobiographical, story-telling presentations that are charming without being cloying. He actually enacts the only “Grandfather Story” that doesn’t propel me into a raging, drooling, homicidal, hyperglycemic fit. It’s touching because I believe that the tale is true.

Female participants are willing to put cards in their blouses because his character is endearing and safe. The crowd trusts him and he is adept at using their trust to hoodwink them.

Mr. Hannibal performs his 45 minute act for a live, appreciative audience. His act is well constructed and comes full circle, like an enchanting ouroboros.

The production values of the DVDs are very good.

Mr. Hannibal assumes that viewers of these DVDs possess at least an intermediate level of technical prowess. Consequently, he doesn’t provide detailed instruction on the execution of the well known sleight of hand techniques that he employs. Neophytes will feel frustrated and disappointed by this lack of in-depth instruction, but then again, these DVDs weren’t created for their consumption.

Mr. Hannibal does a fine job of teaching the material and he dutifully cites his inspiration sources. I was particularly pleased that he discusses why he constructed this act in this particular fashion.

I enjoyed every item in Mr. Hannibal’s act, so I won’t bother saying “I like it” after my obsessively detailed description of each routine.


DISC #1

Introduction: The DVD begins with co-producer/director Anthony Asimov briefly interviewing Mr. Hannibal. I enjoyed catching a glimpse of what makes Mr. Hannibal tick.


Silver Memories: The performer tables an Altoid mint and covers it with an empty Push Pop cylinder. He produces four silver dollars, one at a time, at his fingertips. He then vanishes them, one by one. He raises the cylinder and reveals the stack of four silver dollars, with the mint sitting atop the stack.

The performer covers the coins and the mint with the cylinder. He reaches above the cylinder and produces the four coins and then dumps them on the table. He removes the cylinder to reveal the lone mint.


This is a Mr. Hannibal’s lovely rendition of John Ramsay’s “Cylinder and Coins”. Gimmicked coins are required.


Bookends: A participant signs the performer’s dollar bill. A second participant signs the bill. The performer folds the bill into the shape of a tiny boot, befitting a “nekked, juvenile delinquent, vandal elf .” He lets the participant keep the dollar boot.


Roadhouse: A participant shuffles the deck. She counts 10 face-down cards onto the performer’s palm. She hands the deck to a second participant, who shuffles it. The performer hands the 10-card packet back to the first participant, who places it in her blouse.

The second participant counts 10 cards onto the performer’s palm. The performer hands the 10-card packet back to the second participant, who places it in her blouse. The performer retrieves the deck.

A third participant selects a card. Let’s say it’s a Three. The performer states that he will cause three cards to jump from the second participant’s packet to the first participant’s packet.

The second participant removes the packet from her blouse and counts the cards onto the performer’s palm. There are only seven cards.

The first participant removes the packet from her blouse and counts the cards onto the performer’s palm. There are now 13 cards.


The Pringles Act: A participant selects a card, takes the deck and buries his card in it. The performer removes a card from his pocket and tables it face down. He asks the participant to name his card, but to lie about its identity. He names the Seven of Spades. The performer correctly divines the participant’s actual card, the Nine of Diamonds.

The performer retrieves the deck, spreads through it and removes the Nine of Diamonds. He uses it to flip the tabled card face up, revealing the Seven of Spades. He returns the cards to the deck.

The performer turns the top card of the deck face up onto the deck, displaying the Seven of Spades. He turns the card face down onto the deck. He removes the card and places it on the palm of a participant, who covers it with his other hand.

The performer turns the top card of the deck face up onto the deck, displaying the Nine of Diamonds. He turns it face down onto the deck. He removes the card and holds it over the participant’s hands. He turns the card face up, revealing that it is the Seven of Spades. The participant opens his hands and discovers that he is holding the Nine of Diamonds. The performer returns the cards to the deck.

The performer turns the top card of the deck face up onto the deck, displaying the Nine of Diamonds. He waves his hand over it and it transforms into the Seven of Spades. The crowd discovers that the face-up Nine of Diamonds is under a can of Pringles that has been sitting on the table from the beginning. He returns the Nine to the deck.

The performer turns the top card of the deck face up onto the deck, displaying the Nine of Diamonds. He turns it card face down onto the deck, removes it and buries it in the face-down deck. It appears face up under the Pringles can. He returns the card to the deck.

The performer suggests that he might have been using several Nines of Diamonds. He removes several of them from his pocket and adds them to the deck. He spreads the deck face up on the table and challenges the crowd to find multiple Nines of Diamonds. They can’t find a single Nine of Diamonds. They discover that the Nine of Diamonds is behind the performer’s glasses.

The performer removes the Nine and buries it in the deck. He squeezes the deck and it vanishes, leaving only the Nine of Diamonds. The deck is now under the Pringles can. The performer retrieves the deck and returns the Nine to it.

A participant selects a card and it’s the Nine of Diamonds. The participant signs the Nine. The performer places the face-down Nine on top of the deck. He removes the signed Nine from his right jacket pocket. He buries it in the deck and then removes it from his left jacket pocket. He returns it to the deck and then he produces it from his right jacket pocket again. He places the face-up Nine onto the face-up deck. He waves his hand over the Nine and it transforms into an indifferent card.

A participant open the Pringles can dumps out its contents, which are M&Ms and a folded card secured with a clothespin. The performer removes the clothespin, unfolds the card and reveals that it is the signed Nine of Diamonds.


This is the routine with which Mr. Hannibal won the People’s Choice award at the IBM convention. It may strike you as being too much of a good thing. Fortunately, Mr. Hannibal designed the routine to be modular, so you can eliminate elements that you deem redundant or excessive.


This Strange Engine: The deck is on the table. A participant freely names any card, say the Four of Hearts. The performer asks her to state her age, but invites her to lie if she wishes. She names 43. The performer asks her to name any number between one and 43. She names 29.

The participant picks up the deck. She counts 28 cards into a face-up pile. She turns the next card face up and it is the Four of Hearts. The performer reassembles the deck and tables it.

A participant freely names any card, say the Queen of Hearts. The participant states that he is 31 years old.

The second participant cuts off half of the deck, turns it face up and tables it beside the lower, face-down portion. The face card is an indifferent card. The performer removes it to reveal that the next card is the Queen of Hearts. The participant’s cut was off my only one card.

The performer reassembles the deck, mixes it and holds it face down. He asks a participant to cut off a small chunk of cards. The participant cuts off the packet and hides it behind his back.

The performer places the remainder of the deck into the card case and holds it in his hand. By its weight, he estimates that the participant cut off eight cards. The participant brings the packet forward and counts it. It contains eight cards.

The participant mixes the eight cards. A second participant freely names any suit, say Clubs. The performer turns his back. The first participant examines his eight cards and counts the number of Clubs it contains. The performer divines that the packet contains only one Club, the Seven of Clubs. The participant removes the Seven of Clubs and tables it face up.

A participant freely names one of the remaining suits, say Hearts. The performer states that there are two Hearts in the first participant’s packet. The participant says that there are more than two. The performer asks the participant to give him the Seven of Hearts. The participant removes it from the packet and hands it to the performer, who tables it face up.

A participant freely names one of the remaining suits, say Diamonds. The performer asks the first participant to give him the Three of Diamonds, the Queen of Diamonds and the Five of Diamonds. The participant does so.

The performer asks the first participant to give him the Eight of Spades and he does. The performer states that the two remaining cards are a perfect Blackjack hand consisting of the Ace and Queens of Hearts. The participant tables the cards face up and they are the Ace and Queens of Hearts.

The performer dumps the remaining M&Ms from the Pringles can, shakes it and a large orange falls out. He peels the orange and opens it, revealing a rolled dollar bill. He unrolls it to reveal that it is the dollar bill that the two participants signed earlier in the act, that he fashioned into a boot, that is still being held by a participant.

The performer fashions the bill into another boot and gives it to the other participant who originally signed the bill.


A memorized deck and quick wits are required.

The effect creates a Schrödinger’s Cat type of observer's paradox that Mr. Hannibal wisely leaves unresolved. Let ‘em squirm!


Golden Memories: The performer reintroduces the empty Push Pop cylinder and the base-on-a-stick device that one uses to push the tasty treat out of the cylinder. He detaches the stick from the base and uses the base to cap the bottom end of the cylinder. He tables the cylinder mouth up. He places three M&Ms on the table in front of the cylinder.

The performer drops two of the M&Ms into the cylinder and puts the third one in his jacket pocket. He pours the three M&Ms out of the cylinder.

He repeats the effect.

A participant drops two of the M&Ms into the cylinder and eats the third one. She pours three M&Ms out of the cylinder.

The performer drops two of the M&Ms into the cylinder and puts the third one in his jacket pocket. He turns the cylinder upside down, but nothing falls out. The M&Ms have vanished. He waves the stick (wand) over the mouth of the cylinder. He pushes the stick into the cylinder, inverts the unit and pushes a real tasty treat out of the cylinder.


This is Mr. Hannibal’s novel version of Rene Lavand’s “Three Bread Crumbs”.


Teaching Segment: Mr. Hannibal teaches “Silver Memories”, “Bookends” and “Roadhouse”.


DISC #2

Introduction: Jeff Black is a magician who was in the audience during the recording of the act. He joins Mr. Hannibal for this segment of the DVD.

Mr. Hannibal recounts a calamitous incident that occurred an hour or so before a gig that forced him to create “The Pringles Act”. It’s a fine example of grace under fire and thinking on your feet.


Teaching Segment: Mr. Hannibal teaches “The Pringles Act”, “This Strange Engine” and “Golden Memories”.


Performance Commentary: Here we see the complete act again while Mr. Hannibal provides voice-over commentary.


Cups and Balls: Mr. Hannibal performs an entertaining, well-constructed two-cup routine.


I thoroughly enjoyed Hannibal: The Truth From a Liar. Buy it!


Highly Recommended

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erdnasephile
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Re: Hannibal DVD

Postby erdnasephile » April 5th, 2014, 4:54 pm

Tom:

I thought Bookends was a Bill to Impossible location? Does the DVD contain that routine?

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Tom Frame
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Re: Hannibal DVD

Postby Tom Frame » April 5th, 2014, 6:20 pm

The Bill to Impossible location occurs at the end of This Strange Machine. He produces the signed bill from an orange that is larger than the Pringles can from wence it is produced.

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erdnasephile
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Re: Hannibal DVD

Postby erdnasephile » April 5th, 2014, 10:19 pm

Sorry--I totally missed that--that's what he must mean by "Bookends."

I also noticed that the plots of the act seem a bit convoluted on paper, with multiple effects happening in nearly all of them.

Tom, in your opinion, how does Chris do in terms of making those plots clear?

Hannibal
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Re: Hannibal DVD

Postby Hannibal » April 6th, 2014, 5:14 am

Thank you, Tom.

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Tom Frame
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Re: Hannibal DVD

Postby Tom Frame » April 6th, 2014, 8:25 am

erdnasephile wrote:Tom, in your opinion, how does Chris do in terms of making those plots clear?


His autobiographical, story-telling patter ties everything together. Most of the time, the individual plots magically support his larger narrative. Sometimes he's just displaying his passion and skill with pasteboards. Hell, the man even bursts into song for the closing effect, and it fits!

He does a good job of describing the conditions and status and intent of each effect to ensure that the crowd knows what's going on, and why.

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Re: Hannibal DVD

Postby Hannibal » April 14th, 2014, 1:43 am

I'm surprised those were the only questions. :)

Thank you very much Tom Frame. I'm sincerely glad you enjoyed the set.


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