"World's Greatest Magic: Cannibal Cards" DVD by L&L Publishing
Suggested Retail USD$20.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

L&L Publishing's latest in the "World's Greatest Magic" anthology series, "Cannibal Cards", is a collection of some of the most magical -- and theatrical -- methods and presentations for the classic card plot around and deserves a place in any worker's video library.

The WGM series has consistently been some of the best magic around, bar none. With a vast library of video featuring some of our greatest stars, and arranged in sets of these stars performing the same routine, it also has been some of the best magical bang for the buck we could possibly ask for.

"Cannibal Cards" is no different; it's prime material that shows just how entertaining the classic can be.

For those that are a bit too new to know the effect, basically four cards are shown and described as "cannibals". Other cards are added to these four cards and are shown to have vanished, "eaten by the cannibals", one at a time. Eventually, the missing cards return in one manner or the other.

It's a simple plot, done barebones, but Lin Searles created a monster when he come up with the original plot and folks have been tinkering with his creation ever since.

On "Cannibal Cards", there are seven different performers working the classic, each with a different twist of some sort on the basic plot. Those twists are absurdly, wonderfully different and range from the slightly disturbing to the hysterically funny and every thing in between.

I'll skip all the details and just get to the overview.

Michael Ammar is first up. He takes the plot but throws a location and a "Collectors"-like climax to the routine as the cards "eaten" and returning are three selected cards. This is probably the simplest one of the variations on the disc and is a good one to say the least.

Next, Bill Malone... Well, if I have to tell you this is absolutely hysterical you haven't seen Bill Malone in action. In Malone's version, three cards don't go bye-bye... you'll swear a dozen are so get digested. More, he's got some of the most mind-blowingly clean displays in action here; so slick is his construction he'll blow away even most magicians with it. I'd have paid the money just for this routine.

For the Juan Tamariz routine, I'd have paid the money just to watch him perform it. He can keep his method -- which is very slick to say the least -- it's his performance that makes this worth seeing. Not only does he simply blow his audience away with a great handling, he's turned the trick into a complete theatrical routine, complete with more audience involvement than I've seen in a card effect, complete with the audience singing along with him as he does the routine. Now, we can't all be Tamariz, and this routine won't work for everyone, but it's an education to see how he makes this work so blastedly well.

J.J. Sanvert's routine follows along the classic lines with a quick, almost frantic pacing that is funny to watch... then he sinks you with the four "cannibals" changing to four other cards. That unexpected climax is very well placed in the routine and will play huge. It's also fairly easy to do.

Larry Jennings is next and his handling is so silky smooth, so unhurried and graceful, it's sheer magic to see. A little difficult when compared to the other routines, but this is the legend we're talking about here; seeing him in action is worth the price of admission.

But then so is Michael Skinner. Skinner's version is elegance defined. It's slow, apparently devoid of any trickery whatsoever, and absolutely superb. I've always loved watching Skinner perform and that goes triple here. His take was, according to the ads, honed over twenty-five years of performing; watching it, that's easy to believe. A bit challenging, perhaps, but the ultra-clean vanishes are worth breaking a knuckle or two learning.

Last, but definitely not least, is Eugene Burger's version. This one snuck up on me, as most of Burger's stuff does. In this one, the number of cards is decreased and the "cannibals" end up eating themselves. This is one to see and learn from; Burger's twisted take on the classic is simply excellent, as is his presentation.

So there you have it: seven masterful performers, seven different presentations of a classic, and seven great ways of entertaining folks and dropping their jaws in the process.

Personally, I always considered "Cannibal Cards" to be one of those rare card pieces that plays huge and can be one of the most entertaining things a performer can do. The variations here bear me out in grand style.

There are just a couple of things to know:

First, the original Searles routine used gaffed cards. All of the routines here are done without gaffs or gimmicks: all you need is a deck, a table, and some spectators. When it comes to things like set-ups and the like, they are small and usually mean nothing more than a very short stack of a few cards (and some of the routines don't even go that far -- pull four cards out of the deck and go to town). That makes the routines here perfectly practical from virtually all standpoints.

Second, the difficulty of the routines is all over the place, but none of the routines are that incredibly difficult. Most make do with very basic card sleights -- an addition here, a spread there, a count here and there -- which are well explained during the instructions. The harder routines go a bit beyond that simplicity, but not so far a little practice won't make things happen after a while. All told, all of the material here is in the reach of the advanced card worker, while the beginner will be able to do a few of the routines without all that much trouble; experts will breeze through them.

And, other than the high quality of the material, that's really all there is to know about the routines here.

My recommendation is direct here: if you're after an entertaining, often hilarious routine that will have spectators laughing and enjoying themselves even as you knock their socks off, the "Cannibal Cards" routines here might be just what your after. If the plot is to your liking, you can't go wrong learning these versions and putting them to use when you go out and about. And you'll absolutely love the reactions.

Yep, this is one I highly recommend.

"World's Greatest Magic: Cannibal Cards" DVD by L&L Publishing
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
From the tactically genius to the presentationally striking, the variants of the Searle's classic on this disc are simply excellent. Taking the original in so many different directions, each with its own look and feel, this disc is a must-have for any card worker wanting to add an impressively entertaining routine to their arsenal.

Practicality: 10
A deck of cards, a table, and an audience... it doesn't get more practical than that.

Quality of Production: 10
This is an L&L release, which pretty much says it all.

Quality of Instruction: 10
As varied as each routine are the performers and their teaching styles, but every one of them does a simply fantastic job of teaching their routine. There'll be no problems learning the material here.

Presentation: 10
From the straight and magical to the silly and theatrical, the presentations here run the gamut of great presentations. All you have to do is find one that matches your style and you've got a hit on your hands.


Shane

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