Snowbound

The film was a passable thriller. It does have its moments. The film has a few twists and the length is about right .

It does keep you guessing and the scenery in the snow is nice .

This was a good entertaining film and only because Monika Schnarre,(Liz Garnett),"Andromeda",'05 looked very sexy, hot and played the role of a very very fox lady type. On the other hand, Erika Eleniak,(Barbara Cates), "Brilliant",'04 was the trusting friend who simply adored Liz who worked with her and they were competitors in the same firm, only Barbara was more of a kind hearted soul. These two women decided to take a break from the business world and get away to the North in Canada and enjoy the quiet comforts of a cozy rental cabin. Unfortunately, Liz was not completely truthful about why she wanted to go away and her past was about to catch up with her.

In an attempt to hide out for a short period from the psychotic ex-husband of one of them, two women are trapped in a mountain community by a massive (yet unseen) snowstorm that closes all roads and blankets the entire area except for the immediate vicinity of the heroines. Their retreat becomes less enjoyable when they realize they have been followed the entire trip.

Apparently this misnomered movie was written, and directed, by people who had never seen an actual snowstorm. It's very hard to feel suspense when the events and situations are unrealistic, nor when the surprise outcome is predictable from the very beginning. The lack of fresh snow after a blizzard, nor any scenes where a blizzard was occurring, made me gnash my teeth.

This movie takes a LONG time getting to the story. By the time the stage is set, the viewer has lost interest. When the action does get started, it has such a soap opera feel, the viewer doesn't believe it. The best thing about the movie is the lead females are very easy to look at. They have talent, too -- they just picked the wrong movie to show it off.

My wife stumbled onto this and wanted us to watch this on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I instantly had doubts that it would be any good. And I was right!

(Lesson #1 to filmmakers: If the title is "Snowbound," you should have plenty of snow in it!! There isn't much until the end.)

Erika Eleniak gets top billing. I had vague memories of her from "Baywatch" - a show I rarely watched (but you couldn't get away from the promos). She shows some spunk & does a reasonable job. But co-star Monika Schnarre is just too bland & monotone.

Overall, it's boring. Plot & script aren't much to write home about. Very little drama, action or horror. The pacing is slow. At 93 minutes, it's not too long. But it feels long. Cinematography is very good - especially the exterior scenes (shot in Canada). It's easy on the eyes. But - once again - I was disappointed by the general lack of actual snow.

This is an easily forgotten Lifetime-type movie.

However: If you need something calming to play in the background while you surf the web or to help you fall asleep, this fits the bill perfectly.

3 stars: For Eleniak & the cinematography.