Stewart Raffill Movies

Director/screenwriter Stewart Raffill interweaves the modern world tales of ancient mystical cults by detailing the mysterious relationship between a wealthy film producer and the hypnotically beautiful siren who seems to drift between his dreams and his waking consciousness. Startled to find an ethereal beauty pushed onto the shore of his vast beach estate by a friendly dolphin, film producer Michael Pace brings the girl to safety before phoning the local doctor and police. Later, after all involved determine that the unidentified woman is in good health, she awakens without any knowledge of either her past or identity. That night, after Michael and his strange visitor engage in a rapturous night of sensual bliss, the enamored producer invites the girl to join him for brunch on his friend's yacht. The heated relationship between the passionate pair quickly takes an unexpected turn, however, when Michael's wife shows up at the brunch and the producer is forced to leave the girl in the care of his salacious friend Harry Sugar. Upon awakening the following morning, it appears to Michael as if the events of the previous day had been nothing but a vivid dream. Though he begins to suspect that his encounter with the girl was all a figment of his imagination, Michael is troubled to learn that Harry's yacht has been discovered drifting far into the ocean waters - it's missing captain nowhere to be found. When Michael discovers a video of Harry making out with the woman on the boat, a quick investigation reveals that there has recently been a series of unexplained disappearances involving beautiful women. A film producer who is constantly on the lookout for inspiration, Michael is subsequently inspired to turn his bizarre, seemingly supernatural experience into a movie. As the auditions get underway, an actress who is the spitting image of the disappearing beauty tries out for the role and Michael quickly finds the film reaching deep into his family past, and far into an unknown future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

An enormous crocodile terrorizes a Thai beach resort in this tale of terror in the water starring Michael Madsen. As the local begin to mysteriously disappear and various appendages are found floating in the swamps, the locals offer $5000 to anyone able to capture the beast responsible for all the bloodshed. While local crocodile hunter Hawkins (Madsen) is ready and willing to track down the man-eating monster, he begins to suspect that he's dealing with a more powerful force than he ever imagined as the body count continues to rise, and the blood-curdling screams of the locals echo eerily through the treacherous swamps. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

James Keach and Jane Seymour, husband and wife in real life, are teamed in this direct-to-cable update of Johann David Wyss' classic adventure tale The Swiss Family Robinson. While on a boat bound from Singapore to Sydney, the Robinson family is besieged by pirates, who set them adrift. Landing on a remote island in the company of a handful of other survivors, the family manages not only to survive but to flourish -- though their efforts to escape their new surroundings are continually thwarted by their pirate tormentors. Ultimately, the Robinsons save themselves with the considerable assistance of their new-found animal friends. Originally intended for a theatrical release, the PG-rated The New Swiss Family Robinson made its American bow via the Disney Channel cable network in 1999, nearly a full year after its completion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This British family film follows the exploits of two white greenhorns lost in the African wilderness with only a 100 year old elephant to protect them. It was filmed on location in Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Michael, a teenager from the States, and Elisabeth, an English woman whom Michael has spent 10 days romantically pursing are part of an international tour group. Black poachers hijack the group and take Michael, Elisabeth, and an older Englishman, Charles hostage. As the three attempt their escape a tribal chieftain is killed. The chieftain's son, Rabar, begins to trail the threesome to exact his revenge. When Charles is killed by a lion, the two young folks are left to battle the African wilderness alone. A romance ensues. For some reason, a mighty elephant befriends them and always appears at the moments of greatest danger. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This fast-paced action picture plays like Die Hard (1988) on an airplane. Grieving over the death of his wife at the hands of an armed robber and blaming himself for her death, anti-terrorism expert John Cutter (Wesley Snipes) is retiring from his dangerous job. The flight he's on is occupied by a coterie of FBI agents escorting the lethal terrorist Charles Rane (Bruce Payne), but as the aircraft is taking off, Rane's associates, who have also boarded the plane, take the vehicle by force and free their leader. With the aid of a sheriff on the ground, a pair of stewardesses (Alex Datcher and Elizlabeth Hurley) and his old friend, airport manager Sly Delvecchio (Tom Sizemore), Cutter puts his special training and martial arts skills to good use combating the kidnappers. The clever, dapper Rane has several surprises in store for his nemesis, however, including killing a hostage and an ally who's only pretending to be on Cutter's side. His options becoming increasingly limited, Cutter devises a dangerous plan that involves dumping the airplane's precious fuel reserves. Director Kevin Hooks cast his father, actor Robert Hooks in the role of federal agent Dwight Henderson. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

This sci-fi tearjerker has the distinction of being one of the most obviously commercial films ever made with constant plugs for MacDonalds, Coca-Cola companies, candy and other products. These not so subtle endorsements are woven into the story of a wheel-chair bound boy and the stranded alien MAC (not as in "Big" but rather Mysterious Alien Creature) who become friends and help each other with their family problems. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This science fiction thriller was inspired by a mythical real-life event, the WWII era disappearance of an entire naval vessel during a radar-cloaking test. In 1943, David Herdeg Michael Pare and Jim Parker Bobby DiCicco are sailors stationed aboard a Virginia battleship. Their vessel is undergoing an experiment conducted by brilliant scientist Dr. Longstreeet (Eric Christmas), who is attempting to render Allied craft invisible to radar. The ship becomes briefly invisible, but the test is a disaster and most of the crew are horribly killed. However, two crewmen are missing. In 1984, Herdeg and Parker emerge in the Nevada desert, having somehow traveled through time. Longstreet, still trying to perfect the device after 40 years, is running another experiment that pulls the missing sailors into the present. Realizing what's occurred, Herdeg and Parker flee, fearing for their lives. Fugitives, they befriend a skeptical modern woman, Alison Hayes (Nancy Allen). An effect of time pulls Parker back into 1943, leading to a bizarre reunion between Herdeg, still trapped in the future, and Parker, now a senior citizen. The film was followed by a sequel nine years later. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Robert Logan stars in still another of his many independently produced films designed for the family-matinee crowd. Logan plays Travis, the father of two young girls Courtney and Samantha (Heather Rattray and Shannon Saylor), all of whom set off from Tahiti on a perilous round-the-world sailboat trip. The journalist assigned to cover the voyage is Kelly (Mikki Jamison-Olsen), an attractive with whom Travis falls in love. The fifth member of the sailing party is youthful stowaway Jesse (Cjon Damitri Patterson). When the group is shipwrecked off the Alaskan coast, the film metamorphoses into one of those "Wilderness Family" adventures guaranteed to thrill both children and adults. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set in 1876, this family-oriented wilderness adventure centers on a pair of adorable orphans who will stop at nothing to successfully navigate the rugged Rockies and trek to Salem, Oregon where they are to inherit a 400-acre ranch. The two are assisted on their dangerous but scenic journey by a shifty but good-hearted gambler. Along the way, the travelers see cuddly bears, beautiful horses and frolicsome deer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

What Wonder of It All lacks in production polish it makes up for in enthusiasm. This 47-minute travelogue allows the viewer to viscerally take a trip around the world. Man-made landmarks are generally avoided; this is an odyssey through the marvels of Mother nature. The best moments show the animals of the world in their natural habitats, and their day-to-day activities, not only with their own kind but with other species. Director Arthur R. Dubs is at best a talented amateur when it comes to assembling a documentary, but this hardly matters: viewers will be hooked from the beginning, just as we were. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This family drama stars Dan Haggerty as Cal, a moonshiner who wantonly kills just about any kind of critter in the woods. Sammy (Charles Lee) is a young man who has made many animal friends, including a bear, alligator, mountain lion, chimpanzee and leopard. Sammy and his friends attempt to save the lives of the other creatures in the swamps where they live, and in doing so become personal enemies of Cal. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide