John McLaughlin Movies

'Konokol' refers to a training method that teaches aspiring musicians the fundamentals of rhythm, sans the use of drums or other percussive instruments. In the instructional home video release John McLaughlin and S. Ganesh Vinayakram: The Gateway to Rhythm, Konokol-based music instructor McLaughlin teams up with Indian percussionist and Konokol master Selvaganesh Vinayakram to lead viewers through the fundamentals of this practice. The lessons begin with basic rhythmic exploration and tutelage, then move into improvisatory techniques, then move into the fundamentals of Konokol-based percussive composition. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

A group of intrepid humans attempts to save the Earth from vicious extraterrestrials in this extremely popular science-fiction adventure. Borrowing liberally from War of the Worlds, Aliens, and every sci-fi invasion film inbetween, director Roland Emmerich and producer and co-writer Dean Devlin present a visually slick, fast-paced adventure filled with expensive special effects and large-scale action sequences. The story begins with the approach of a series of massive spaceships, which many on Earth greet with open arms, looking forward to the first contact with alien life. Unfortunately, these extraterrestrials have not come in peace, and they unleash powerful weapons that destroy most of the world's major cities. Thrown into chaos, the survivors struggle to band together and put up a last-ditch resistance in order to save the human race. As this is a Hollywood film, this effort is led by a group of scrappy Americans, including a computer genius who had foreseen the alien's evil intent (Jeff Goldblum), a hot-shot jet pilot (Will Smith), and the President of the United States (Bill Pullman). While some critics objected to the film's lack of originality and lapses in logic, the combination of grand visual spectacle and crowd-pleasing storytelling proved irresistible to audiences, resulting in an international smash hit. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

The ghost of Frank Capra must have smiled when he saw Dave, an amusing and effective update of one of Capra's favorite themes -- the scrupulously honest little guy who becomes a force for good against a corrupt system. Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline) runs an employment agency and seems to genuinely enjoy finding work for people who need it. He also bears a striking resemblance to the president of the United States, Bill Mitchell (also played by Kline) and occasionally gets work as a Bill Mitchell impersonator. One day, Dave gets a call from the Secret Service -- for security purposes, they want to hire him to act as a decoy for an upcoming appearance by the president. All goes well, but later that evening President Mitchell suffers a massive stroke while in bed with his mistress. Wanting to keep the matter a secret, two of the president's top advisors appeal to Dave to stand in as Bill Mitchell until he regains his health. One of the men behind this scheme, Bob Alexander (Frank Langella), hopes to use Mitchell's absence to promote his own right-wing political agenda, but after a few weeks "in office," Dave decides it's time to promote some changes of his own that will help increase employment and keep homeless shelters open. Dave also finds himself growing fond of Ellen Mitchell (Sigourney Weaver), the President's wife, while Ellen sees in Dave the idealism her husband left behind years ago. Dave features numerous cameo appearances by politicians, Washington insiders, and journalists; Oliver Stone also appears to explain a conspiracy theory regarding sudden changes in Bill Mitchell's behavior. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In an event deemed worthy of a TV Guide cover, the cast and crew of Cheers celebrates the series' 200th episode. Moderated by John McLaughlin of The McLaughlin Group fame, this special telecast not only features the then-current cast of Cheers, but also several former regulars and semi-regulars. Foremost among the latter is Shelley Long, whose much-publicized acrimonious exit from the series in 1987 made viewers wonder if she would dare wander into any sort of "reunion" (but she did). Among the highlights from past episodes are several outtakes, the fabled food fight from the 1986 Thanksgiving episode, and the 1989 dream sequences in which Sam (Ted Danson) forces himself on Rebecca (Kirstie Alley), and vice versa. Originally telecast as a one-hour special, this episode has since been divided into two half-hours for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide