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We have taken some photos of "Bordertown". They represent actual movie quality.

• Another vulture production of a far too common issue. posted on 15 May 2008

  Though entertaining as a thriller-action flick, I just feel bad for the load of propaganda being shared by this an other works. On the serious side, the facts are blown way out of proportion. Yes there's a problem of gender violence, but is a world problem, not only in Juarez. The figures provided from different agencies only prove that this has become a profitable issue (women support charities are getting funding from the government and foreign aid agencies). As an example, many people say "400" dead in a couple of years. Sounds awful, doesn't it? but if I say "400 dead, 367 cases solved over 25 years" the hole dimension changes. Acting is bad, the topic is good, but it is just another attempt to gain profit from a very delicate topic.

• 6/10 cool idea and prob real but just not well done posted on 27 Feb 2008

  Straight up review: 6/10 (just finished watching... initial impressions)A deep fascinating film that I assumes is based on real life. Unfortunately it cannot hold a candle to similar films like "City of God", "Hotel Rwanada" or "Blood Diamond". Honestly makes me question whether i want to visit Mexico or not (is it safe?).Why 6/10?- believable and seems to follow possible real life. - poor acting -strange flow - I had difficulty relating to the story and the characters, but i was curious and did continue to watch. Most successful stories draw you in to the drama and life of the main characters. Unfortunately the all-star cast Antonia Bandaras and JLO just couldn't do it. - most people outside of that area probably won't relate - The theme of Corporate Industrialist pseudo 1800s robber barons seemed contrive and poorly tacked on or just didn't fly as well. (albeit it might be true) => Cool idea but not compellingly done nor could I relate or be drawn into the story. Good try. Better luck tomorrow! => Movie or Video: if your from the community in question I guess theater but for everyone else save your money and rent.

• Jennifer Lopez plays a journalist who's send to Ciudad Juarez in Mexico to investigate Women murders. posted on 26 Jan 2008

  I must admit I had my doubts at first since I have never considered Jennifer Lopez a good actress however but her performance was terrific she delivers her best performance in this movie that tells the true story of how thousands of Mexican women are killed in Juarez, I must say critics are not always right when it comes to classify a movie good or bad, most of the times they would praise movies because of their A-list well known directors and actors which is obviously not the case on this movie since Lopez and Bandera's are the only well known actors in this movie and none of them are considered to be A-list actors or Oscar's nominees I was terrified to see how bad things are in Juarez I could not believe such a terrible thing could happen in a city that shall be considered to be a civilized society but this movie really help us all understand how women rights are violated in certain places in the world. These victims are mostly young attractive women in their early 20's and their already facing the consequences of poverty and the government's conspiracy with women assaulter's.I personally feel Lopez performance stole many peoples heart because it felt so real how she connected herself with the story, she delivers a excellent performance in this movie. If you're not planning to put your critical hat on before you watch this movie I would highly recommend it because I am sure that you will learn things and you would get the message which is don't be part of what you know its killing thousands of innocent women who are trying to make a living. I definitely must give this movie 4 star out 5 stars because I felt connected with the events and the movie is great.

• Well Intentioned, but ridiculous posted on 27 Nov 2007

  This movie is trying to shed light on an important subject, but the filmmakers go about trying to concoct a preposterously ridiculous story to do so. At no time did Jennifer Lopez come off as believable as a gritty reporter. (Spoilers) No, she runs around Juarez Mexico seeming to know her way around, unafraid of murderers, rapists, and corrupt government and/or elites all while supposedly speaking beginning Spanish. We are thrown a bunch of facts, some gruesome violence, and grotesque bodies - but acting and dialog doesn't hold weight. There are uneven scenes and poor direction in general. Martin Sheen has some light duty as a side character - interesting enough if limited. The movie has a decent premise, but script and screenplay need some major re-editing for better plausibility. Mildly worth passing your time if free viewing.

• Who isn't paying attention? posted on 20 Sep 2007

  Made as a sort of political commentary for free trade agreements - NAFTA (North American Free Trade) - that was a mistake, someone got really sidetracked! This is a movie very worth seeing, and a story that is screeching for a gesture of humanity. It stands on its own without any need for appeal to populist causes.This a story and wants to be a film, a dramatized documentary about sordid evil human exploitation. What has been happening in Juarez, Mexico for the past decade may have been helped by some political and commercial developments, but the origin and the result is pure deathly evil.Pay attention. The first nearly 50% of 200 votes about this film on IMDb were "1". Eh ... one? Think here for a moment . . . the story was and continues to be viciously true, the depiction is very accurate. Over 4000 (!) women in this US/Mexican border town have gone missing, and over 400 have been found dead !! In just a few years.This has been going on for a decade and has been repeatedly reported throughout the world's press. Dedicated reporters and honest police in this town have been killed in numbers scraping to reveal the truth, and still the vacuum of female death continues.For credibility, Antonio Banderas and Jennifer Lopez have had so so ratings, but have had hits as well as misses, but have not been known to be lacking in integrity. Greg Nava, writer and director has had some strong directing with some powerful histories (6+ ratings most of the time.) Martin Sheen, rarely misses. So, should the first 40% of the votes really be "1" ?? Were all these cinema professionals so off base, or is an internet group subverting the IMDb voting system en mass?? Well, this is the question that probably is begging the integrity of not just this film, but even the IMDb. Guys we need an investigation here. Please check folks, this leads to the very heart of what 10,000's and perhaps 100,000's of IMDb fans trust in. (And in the case of this film, 100's are dying for.) For the film, Jennifer is pretty good, and Antonio has a few but not so many good lines. Nothing is spectacular, but the story and the cinematography is on. The script and direction could have been much better.Objectively and even from an informed perspective - I've seen 100's of films each year for nearly 50 years,worked in the industry, and have called about 80% of the winners for the top 5 or six film awards ceremonies (by award criteria/bias) for the past 15 years with better than 85% accuracy - this movie is not a popularly rated film so far, per 388 "objective" persons surveyed viewers. But take a look and tell whether the package rates a 4.8 ! I don't believe that this film rates a "10" any more than it rates a "1" or a "4.8". So based on that ludicrousy, I vote "10" until the investigation resolves the nearly 20% of early volume of "1" votes.It is important that honest and committed film viewers and consciences, vote to give this movie, issue, and the IMDb a dignified rating so that the curious uninformed will be properly attracted to an awareness of this better than average film, that portrays this horrific reality.

• Drama-denounce about hundred of murders in city of Juarez posted on 04 Sep 2007

  The story talks about Lauren(Jennifer López), an obstinate reporter working in Chicago Sentinel. She's assigned by her chief(Marin Sheen) going to a Mexican Bordertown, where in location of Juarez occur a series of killings when the workers are forced displacement. Eva(Zapata)is cruelly raped and with the help of Lauren and a Mexican journalist(Antonio Banderas) investigate the events. Eva is being protected by Mexican owner (Sonia Braga) but she flees and is caught by the border policemen when has to testify against the rapist. Meanwhile in order to discover the deeds Lauren is working in a Juarez factory where the workers are tired of being nothing more than manual laborers . Lauren gains trust of local factory proprietary(Juan Diego Botto).Although this movie is fictional, at times it feels like a documentary. The story blends suspense, intrigue, violence and political denounce. Also deals the hardships work told in graphic detail, recounting a relentless criticism to NAFTA(North American free trade) organization . This is a dramatic and serious movie where the starring- well performed by Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas- encounter in the midst of deep struggle oppressive forces outside their control, as they confront against nasty killers and corrupt people. Evocative musical score by Graeme Revell and colorful cinematography by Reynaldo Villalobos. The film was nominated for Golden Berlin Award. The motion picture is expertly directed by Gregory Nava. He's a specialist on Mexican thematic, such as 'Selena, A time of destiny, My Family', and his best movie: 'The North. This film will make you think twice about the product buy or make you food for the reason of long hours in jobs and low wages.

• fantastic, amazing film!!! worth watching. posted on 24 Jul 2007

  My mark for this film is 10 out of 10. It's a fantastic film starring Jennifer Lopez alongside a Spanish star Antonio Banderas. Jennifer plays a journalist who helps to rescue many innocent Mexican women from getting raped. The reason why I like this film is that it contains a strong politically motivated message. It helps many people to open their eyes up and to find out about what's going on behind the political curtains. This mainly relates to how the US government bullies smaller nations for the sake of a better and prosperous life in the US of A. Once, again, worth watching it!!! Truly amazing!

• A for effort even if it's only a C posted on 04 Jul 2007

  Other than Antonio Banderas (who mails it in as usual, though at least he took all that crap out of his hair), the cast does a more than adequate job or portraying an important story. Eva, in particular, evokes a genuine sense of despair and hope strung together simultaneously. While the script and dialog are unquestionably formulaic, the pathos of the story and evocation of place save this story and the acting is workman like if not fantastic. Not much has been said about the effects of NAFTA and the bordertowns like Juarez that have sprung up and swallowed communities whole and this movie is at least a step in the right direction for rectifying this and telling at least a fragment of an important tale. This movie could only possibly be funny to someone who thought Schindler's List was a real hoot as well.

• Maya Zapata posted on 16 Jun 2007

  The film, while not the best cinema I have seen based on real events, lays a solid effort all the way across. I thought it would be just a step above "China Cry", but it turns out that it is watchable. That is a good start.Of all the acting in the movie, Maya Zapata, who played Eva, had the best acting of the whole crew. And that is including Sheen and Banderas. She played the girl factory worker suffering from her encounter very well. So lets just say I was impressed.The film does show what is wrong with some of the agreements in NAFTA. The film goes to far in saying NAFTA is about slavery and money, which isn't exactly true. It gets a little too politically sided in one area. An agreement between nations on protecting workers rights would be the best conclusion to draw from this. That and the companies helping in protecting its workers more.Overall, its a good effort. Give it a try. "B"

• What Has Happened Jennifer Lopez? posted on 23 May 2007

  I enjoyed Bordertown.It was a quaint film that I found to be somewhat suspenseful,and mildly fresh,but Jennifer Lopez made the movie unrealistic.Some of the acting in this film,I just couldn't get past how bad it was.I expected really great acting,considering how Jennifer Lopez was in the movie.She was a great actress in Anaconda and The Cell,so I was assuming the same for this movie.I was highly disappointed,but found the movie plot very new.There was some "raw" material in this film I found very ridiculous and unworthy of it's occurrence in the movie.All in all,Bordertown wasn't THAT good.I gave the film it's props and gave it a 7,because I love how they were able to make this movie unlike any other film that I had seen.I really didn't see any relations to other movies I've seen and kudos to them for that.This film was,I would say,"HIGHLY GOOD",but could never actually be great.

• not the greatest filming quality, but a must see for its story posted on 17 May 2007

  This is a movie that is not a memorable example of cinematography (the plot is very Hollywood-ish, especially for a movie based on a real story), but the acting is quite good and it does give the viewer a fair idea of what is going on in the far away places (at times not so far after all) where our everyday gizmos are actually built in these days. And it is not a pretty picture, by any means. I think that the movie aimed at exposing the ugly truth of what has been going on right at the US border, where hundreds of women have been slaughtered for the past decade or so. But that was not all, because such nightmare did not, and does not, come out of nowhere: it comes straight out of the disastrous situation that exists in the modern-day sweat-houses (aka as 'manufacturing plants' to the big corporations) and the surrounding favelas where their workers live. And the sweat-houses are a direct consequence of, among the rest, 'trade agreements' like the NAFTA. So, even though some people might not like it, this is a political movie, and very rightly so. And now that I think of it, it does have some good cinematography in it: I find the photography extremely good. I liked the yellowish, desert-like tint that pervades the whole movie.

• read it posted on 06 Mar 2007

  Well,this is a kind of documentary movie and I really enjoyed seeing this movie.The actors and actresses played very well and totally it is impressing and can shake your body but my point is : who cares about those people in Mexico while many people are being killed in some countries such as Iraq or Afghanistan? many people are being killed or kidnapped or raped in those countries and you just care about 5000 women in a border town in Mexico? I am not saying that those women are not human but open your eyes and see what is going on around you.anyway there are a lot of these things in the world and nobody cares. About the movie scenes I can say most of them were dark and I think it can be a flaw for this movie.And I found that Spanish people can not speak English very good and their accent is very strong.

• This is worth seeing! posted on 08 Dec 2006

  After hearing this movie would not be released on the big screen I had doubts about whether I wanted to see it. I'm glad my curiosity won out over the bad press. This movie was compelling, suspenseful, and well acted. J-lo is believable in her role and gives an impressive performance.I was uncomfortable through nearly the entire movie; one of the marks of an excellent suspense/drama. The importance of the topic of this movie should be enough to encourage people to see it but it is not for the faint of heart. Put the kids to bed early before starting the movie!!

• Hollywood as can be posted on 14 Nov 2006

  Its always nice when Hollywood picks up social themes which are not among the headlines. This movie deals with the deaths of assembly line working women in the free-trade zone of Mexico. The main actors are therefore Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas to make it believable but the movie gets really hard to bear at times. Basically it tries to hard to implement more drama in the story than it has to offer, so you get a poor indio women fleeing her rapist from her grave, a reporter with a dramatic back story from Mexico and a lot of fire, explosions, mix-ups and evil gangsters in government conspiracy plots. It soon gets too much and just piles up till the end. After all the movie is so busy with creating drama that the plot holes get unbearable. So its a conspiracy, but why are there piles of dead women on a scrapyard never to be mentioned again?? Its a nice try but I think a little more reality and less drama would have made it much easier to bear.

• Important Movie posted on 04 Aug 2006

  I purposely rented this movie to watch what it had to say about the situation down in Mexico, regarding the NAFTA factories. NAFTA has been a two edged sword for the American people, and for those who work in these "slave shops" and it hasn't benefited anyone but the corporations who hatched it! I have a new respect for Jennifer Lopez after seeing her in this very important movie; in fact I respect everyone who helped make it. This story needs to get out for the general populace to see, that murder, corruption, and covering up the truth is all tolerated by those that are really running things...the corporations. The movie is well done in all aspects. It is interesting from the moment it begins to the moment it ends. I recommend watching the Special Features afterward to learn more.

• important issue, bad movie posted on 04 Aug 2006

  (SPOILERS in the last part of this review)How does one slam a movie with a good conscience if he thinks the movies' topic is very important? And yet there is not other chance than to criticize the filmmakers for the poor work they've done. That is 'Bordertown'.At the Berlin film festival - where 'Bordertown' premiered - director Greg Nava (who also wrote the script), co-producer Barbara Martinez and Jennifer Lopez (who also produced) left no doubt how important the movie is to them. A website that accompanies the movie is supposed to raise money for the people in Juarez, special screenings should do the same. Plus they hope that 'Bordertown' will bring attention to the killings of so many women at the border between Mexico and the USA. And maybe this attention will help preventing more murders and maybe even help solving some cases. After all, according to Nava 400 dead bodies were found throughout the years, 3 alone in the last 14 days. 4000 women are still missing. And it's not just that nobody cares for those women (they have no 'economical value', Nava said in the press conference, and it's true: They make 4 bucks a day, and even enough woman would be happy to take the jobs). Apparently there are people who didn't want the the film makers to touch the subject: Nava received death threats, an assistant who worked with the second unit in Juarez got beaten up by police (according to Martinez). Somebody broke into her hotel room, and when this "somebody" realized they are not going to stop filming he stole the cameras. Main part of the film were not shot in Juarez, but in more supportive Mexican towns and in factories who also were helpful. 'Bordertown' is a movie that deserves to be supported.And still it is heart breaking how bad the movie is. It's not just bad, it's also at times pathetic and not very logical. Lopez plays a journalist Lauren who is sent to Juarez to write an article about the murders. She used to live in the area, she has a former lover Diaz (Banderas) there who runs a newspaper in Juarez. He is reluctant to help her, until a girl shows up - Eva (Maya Zapata) who got raped but survived because the guys who did it to her believed she was dead. Eva is able to identify the killers, but this puts her and Lauren in serious danger. Still Lauren continues her research...(possible SPOILERS ahead:)'Bordertown' is a Hollywood movie which is supposed to make money at ticket offices. Let's forgive the film makers that a lot of the movie consists of 'run and hide' action typical to these kind of thrillers. But it is simply stupid that Lauren eventually is considering to give up her career because of the tragic events. Nava should have made Lopez a pretty standard journalist, which would have made the movie way less pathetic. He also couldn't resist his urge to give Lauren a background which is pretty laughable. And some of the research work she is doing is just unbelievable. (end of possible SPOILERS)Obviously the movie was so important to Nava he failed in the end. A good journalist should never be too involved with the topic he is working on. A good filmmaker neither, it seems. Still: If this movies actually helps changing things in Juarez, if it makes same movie-goers research a bit more - thumbs up to 'Bordertown'. I personally would recommend reading about the killings though.

• Excellent movie about corruption and injustice posted on 26 May 2006

  Reading the negative reviews of this movie was kind of shocking, really. This heartbreaking story was one that needed to be told, and with all the meaningless crap that is peddled out of Hollywood, this was like a breath of fresh air. Perhaps "Bordertown" won't get 10 Oscar nominations or whatever, but I enjoyed watching Jennifer Lopez unravel the mystery of what happened to Eva, the young girl attacked, left for dead, and miraculously survived. I thought the performances were courageous and not overdone, and the direction and cinematography was great. The price we pay in our humanity to get lower prices on electronics and other goods, and to line the pockets of corruption wherever it is found, is much too high. I wish more movies like "Bordertown" were being made...it is quite sad to me that movies like this (also Erin Brokovich, North Country, Silkwood, as well as others) go straight to DVD and so many other movies with no message, just a grandiose budget and special effects, are more important than those with something to say.