The assignment lands in the hands of journalist Christian Baker, who at first goes with the first lead, turning the entire case up side down. It was nice but at the same time, my aunt wasn't like my mom. I know it's a movie but it's all to real day to day life for many black people living in America. 'Still here' looked promising on paper but comes in as a difficult watch on many levels - including, messy editing, direction, photography, and a poorly realised script - featuring very few convincing situations and many unfocused characters. police say McMullen was a thief, and that's why she has been missing since September 2008. Latasha Watson in Texas. She decided to ask her god-mother for more information. Ben: Some of this story, Monique has always known. Monique: I was born in Oxnard, California. Im desperate for any help/guidance/advice.. This movie should win an Emmy and an Oscar. Such a shame as a real case could have been good. I would get picked up from school and not be talked to and not be asked about my day, and then as soon as my cousins were in the car, it was like, "Oh, how was your day? Ben: Its not clear what Moniques legal options are from here. Culture Mix Survey Our story Email Us Call Us: 248.387.9826, USA TODAY • L.A. Times • CBS Detroit • Crains Detroit Business • Corp Magazine, Zazie Beetz, Johnny Whitworth, Larry Pine, Maurice McRae, Vlad Feier, Afton Williamson. Whether you want to call it the projects or the hood, its still a ghetto stereotype. Just asking me questions that no one really asked me before. Check the search for errors or try a different search. Lillie McMullen, said her family remained prayerful during the time her daughter was missing. Pseudonymph: Im a helper. TV Shows. Michelle was outed and on her way back to Harrisburg. Amory: Which makes more sense when you learn that Moniques family has been caught in a cycle of violence. 2022 The Oscars (TV Special) Dancer - Be Alive Ben: Kats ingenuity got the ball rolling for Monique. He grounds the reality of his scenes and steps into a vulnerability and humanity anchoring the darker moments of Still Here. I said OK.". Monique and her mom went back to California for the funeral. The movies basic plot is that a working-class African American family is reeling from the mysterious disappearance of a 10-year-old girl in the family. Michael and Lillie McMullen aren't hurt or disappointed. Watch the exclusive interview below and let us know what you think. Danielle built up a client base. It was about 5.30pm when Paul's whistles got the attention of rescuers in a BP Surf . Superb acting from a largely unknown (by me, anyway) cast. It was like I was walking on very thin ice all the time. I really didn't know what was going on because I thought we were going to see my mom. Im doing everything I can by myself. Ben: Monique says she and her mom stayed in Iowa, picking up work wherever they could, from kindergarten up until just before 6th grade. She goes home, maybe a little more school work. I'm hurt, but no matter how the situation is, she's still a person who is my daughter.". And it was like, "Now what do I do? They told Monique they throw out case files for misdemeanors after 10 years. In Still Here, when twelve-year-old Monique Watson disappears from home, her father Michael Watson (Maurice McRae) refuses to give up even as the media and police make little effort in solving the case. Let's go look at old periodicals and anything we could find from that time about kidnapped children. "She was really friendly, especially to my customers. Inspired by a true story, this social drama offers a mystery, but also a serious look at the missing children epidemic in the world today. Let's look up the entire area in newspapers.com. When 12 year old Monique Watson disappears from home, her father Michael Watson, refuses to give in as the media and police make little effort in solving the case. It also made her moms refusal to talk make more sense. Because when you keep that in for so many years, it just eats you up. Amory: Step 1: try to find the address of the house Monique and her mom were living in when she was taken from the front yard. And after the whole breakdown in the mental hospital, I couldn't take care of myself. Some good acting counterbalanced by a lot of bad. I discovered a Johnny Whitworth I never knew existed and got mesmerized by Maurice McRae. At first, he had plans for a documentary about missing and exploited children. There are cases of white-collar theft for far more money in which defendants are sentenced to probation as long as they pay back the money. var popupTrigger = jQuery("#captainformForm772606EmbedPopup63fffe99d76c9"); Trying to get the assignment behind, he quickly and poorly researches the story and goes with the first lead. "I'm so hurt, and I'm crying for her, and I wish she could come back to me. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The police dont seem to care, but a crusading white journalist decides to do his own investigation, and hes the only one who can get things done and save the day. An amber alert that had gone out, was lifted. }); She has 3 different addresses, her most recent of which is in Indianapolis, Indiana. "I felt sorry for her," he said. "At the time, Hurricane Katrina was still a lot in the news.". His unannounced visit is a disaster. And what does Christian do with this speculation? The continuation of this narrative is not in support of what it claims it stands for but rather of White people who carry the god complex. }, true); Sign up for a chance to win prizes (such as free gift cards) and get priority alerts or invitations to the hottest lifestyle/culture news, discounts and promotions. Amory: Moniques friends on the other hand, have wanted to talk about it. Includes Address (11) Phone (1) Email (1) See Results. Based on a true story - except it's not. Monique: I hope one day we could re-patch our relationship and just be talking again. It doesn't even have my mom's name because of privacy reasons. Monique Watson, as Michelle called herself, scurried to a back room, told employees she had to deliver a message to a housekeeper and vanished as the family friend called the McMullen family.. The friend who had been watching Michelle's son turned over a note scribbled from Michelle that said she needed time to think. Its something shes changing. music, sound effects, tone) are harder to translate to text. And she had the time to get better and she had the time to get back on her feet. if (document.getElementById('captainform_js_global_vars') == null) { What story ? Click a location below to find Latasha more easily. Then came the summer of 1992. When the televised story of McMullens disappearance was about to air, police said they considered her a fugitive. I'm a white lady and old. Monique: Yes. In February 2010, the Disappeared episode featuring Michelle McMullen's story aired. Monique: I was with my friend Alyssa. I will definitely recommend this movie to a friend. }, true); var captainformCustomVars = {}; "All I know in my mind is that she's like my daughter.". Michelle was young and impulsive, and she felt incredible shame because her mother is a pastor, he said. Culture Audience:Still Here will appeal mostly to people who dont mind watching predictable B-movies with mediocre acting and a lot of badly written scenes. She's always tried to be the best mom she could be for me. And he just got off with child endangerment, a misdemeanor. Youre walking a thin line here, sport. But lo and behold, Jerry has an idea for an assignment that Christian would be willing to do. Ben: What Monique does know is that right after this happened, her mom made a big move. It's something I have to think about because it's still in my memory. Do think he's in California still? Its why Im in education. And because this is an apartment in the ghetto, of course the elevators dont work, so Christian has to walk up to the fourth-floor apartment by using the stairs. I hope to see all these actors again. var popupParams = { Ben: Part of the reason is that shes estranged from her family, and her abduction is a touchy subject. Martin said she should be brought back to the area within seven to 10 days, and he does not expect to file any more charges against her. That's not fair at all. For parts of her abduction, she seems to remember feelings more than specific details. Layla the 18-month-old Tabby found refuge on the family's chicken coop after swimming about 150 metres through raging floodwaters. The movie was poorly written and the acting was sub par with the exception of the players of the missing girls parents. A New York journalist who gets assigned the story of a missing African-American young girl, risks his career and takes the matter into his own hands trying to find her. type: "text/javascript", It's about the likelihood someone will show up for her next court hearing. var popupTrigger = jQuery("#captainformForm772605EmbedPopup63fffe99d7859"); Get Started The irony of Michelle's story is that even if found guilty, she probably would not have spent any time behind bars had she stayed and faced her alleged crimes in 2008. One of the searches led police to West Virginia, where they said she was living and working at a bargain motel using the alias Monique Watson. Martin said he was unaware if she was using a false identification in California. Michelle told police she spent every day with knots in her stomach, worried about being caught. Monique: I know a good amount of my friends have similar stories to me. var readyStateOverflowInterval; Amory: Monique also wants to help her friends do the work. Ben: Monique has a god-sister, Sophia, who is one of her closest friends. I thought I was safe, I thought I was in good hands. Ben: But that same night that Monique and her friend Alyssa had been trying to find information online with no luck, Monique did something a little radical. I was just looking at a magazine. And soon her moms habit lead to other habits. She began browsing online dating sites and decided she would move to California to meet up with a new man: Ibrahim Mumuni. And this is where Still Here really goes downhill, because the movie wants people think that even though Christian makes a lot of stupid mistakes, hes still a fantastic investigator. Her memories are incomplete, she was only five when she was kidnapped. But these actors were so powerful in their performance that I actually felt their pain not only because they were black but because their daughter was black and no one cared. Sacha Baron Cohen Has Screened A Secretly-Filmed Sequel To Borat. ("elementType"in e))return!1;var n=null;if(n=e.following?e.following.parentElement:e.inside?e.inside:e.replacing?e.replacing.parentElement:"script"==e.elementType?document.head:document.body,null==n)return!1;var l=document.createElement(e.elementType);delete e.elementType,l=jQuery.extend(l,e),e.replacing?n.replaceChild(l,e.replacing):n.appendChild(l)}; Out of options, Michael teams up with Christian Baker, the journalist assigned to Monique's story. And why should they? Amory: We're coming to you from WBUR, Boston's NPR station. Amory: Dead end. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Our clothes were soaking wet and it was getting later. The assignment lands in the hands of journalist Christian Baker (Whitworth), who at first pursues a false lead, turning the entire case upside down. 33 people named Monique Watson found in Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, San Diego and 4 other cities. One thing that I'm learning to understand is that when you're a kid, you're gonna make mistakes, you're gonna get in trouble, you're gonna get grounded. He discussed the origins of the script, changing the narrative and the timeliness of current events in America. Instead of researching this information, like any good journalist would do (and the information would be very easy to find by using The Chronicles address-finding resources), he decides to go to the neighborhood where the Watson family lives, with the hope that someone can tell him which building is the one where the family resides. }, 10); But this is how black people are treated in this country and it's so sad that the victims are victimized over and over again. }, 50); Maurice McRae on Emotional Drama of Still Here [Exclusive Interview], Johnny Whitworth on Playing An Investigative Journalist in Still Here [Exclusive Interview], Jeremy Holm on Playing a Conflicted Cop in Still Here [Exclusive Interview], The Mandalorian S3 Episode 1 Review: ROUGH START!!! She became part of a family. function resize77260663fffe99d76c9(wrapper){ 7,061 Followers, 4,731 Following, 323 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Monique Watson (@piinklemonade_) piinklemonade_ Follow. (document.removeEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",d),window.removeEventListener("load",d)):(document.detachEvent("onreadystatechange",d),window.detachEvent("onload",d))},d=function(){t||!document.addEventListener&&"load"!==event.type&&"complete"!==document.readyState||(t=!0,n(),e())};if("complete"===document.readyState)e();else if(document.addEventListener)document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",d),window.addEventListener("load",d);else{document.attachEvent("onreadystatechange",d),window.attachEvent("onload",d);var o=!1;try{o=null==window.frameElement&&document.documentElement}catch(a){}o&&o.doScroll&&!function c(){if(!t){try{o.doScroll("left")}catch(d){return setTimeout(c,50)}t=!0,n(),e()}}()}}; And just hung up and hasn't spoke to my god-sisteror even tried to reach out to me since then. And her mom suggested they move back to California, then and there. But I knew I didn't want to face what was happening in Pennsylvania. Still Here is not the worst movie you could ever see. Amory: What happened next is another blurry part of Moniques memory about the abduction. We need more stories around resilience and family like this one. Monique: So I was five years old and we were living in Saticoy and I used to play with this little girl that would come over once in a while. "She's already served more time than guidelines call for," Michael McMullen said. resize77260563fffe99d7859(wrapper); From California to Iowa. Monique's personal mission is to inspire people to take strategic actions to advance their lives and careers and become their own best advocate. What's crazy is that another similar story was in the news only one week after the principal photography wrapped up and it happened just a few blocks from where the movie was filmed. She talked her way out of a minor traffic stop with police and was even able to keep a low profile for 12 months after being featured on the Investigation Discovery show "Disappeared." Latasha Monique Watson, 36. Reggie basically tells Christian that the only way that hell tell Christian where the Watson family lives is if Christian pays him. Susquehanna Twp. Police Chief Rob Martin said that police have followed fruitless tips and searched for McMullen in many states. And since the memories are traumatic, digging into them has also been really scary. "They were checking her, but I had no clue," Topka said. She got so mad. Doing chores. She goes to work one of her part time jobs at 6pm until about 11. It was a good movie though, main characters were great, (Father and Reporter) If you can get past the over acting and try hard detectives (especially Johnny Holm) you'll love it. And who is the hero of the story who thinks he can solve this missing persons case all by himself? Christian eventually wins over the familys trust when he tells them that he doesnt like how the NYPD has been handling the case and he can do a better job than the police have been doing in investigating Moniques disappearance. And it's still stuck with me for 15 years. It's made up nonsense. She always tried her best. We didn't really care about anything. Spanish speakers should call 1-888-577-4782. Amirah Watson, 10, was found at the home in Atlanta on Thursday, March 19 around 8:30 a.m., according to a release from the Richland County Sheriff's Department. Stay up and watch it with me. And I ended up just falling asleep because I was so tired and just so exhausted and just really confused. Its also because she knows much more about what happened to her. And most who run get caught sooner than this. Including a private message from a Redditor who related to parts of Moniques story. Moniques abductor got off with a slap on the wrist 15 years ago. And through therapy Monique has realized that knowing the full story about what happened to her is an important part of moving past it. if ('' == 'left') Maurice McRae, although theatrical at times, brings heartbreak and despair to a very tough role. LRM Online exclusively spoke with director Vlad Feier last month about this project. It had been a long day for the "rookie" rescue crew who . Up until a few weeks ago, Monique had been looking for that police report for 15 years, even though she might not have realized it. Christian introduces himself and tells Michael that hes from The Chronicle and wants to help with the investigation into Moniques disappearance. Michelle still talks to Topka through letters, and Mumuni said he has contact with the McMullen family -- her real family. if ('' == 'left') amarillo texas billionaires Amory: This Mary Poppins of libraries known as Pseudonymph on Reddit also had a useful tool at her disposal: access to pay-walled newspaper databases. The Moore teenager dreamed of being a doctor and having a family of her own. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Michelle was a 27-year-old student at Grambling State University in Louisiana who had just moved south with her son to finish a few courses after taking the majority of her classes online from Harrisburg. One thing led to the other, and it spiraled out of control. id: "captainform_js_global_vars", More sense events in America stories to me just so exhausted and just be talking again willing to do,! Moniques legal options are from here did n't want to face what was on... Of myself using a false identification in California life for many monique watson found alive people living in America story! His scenes and steps into a vulnerability and humanity anchoring the darker moments of here... 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It was about 5.30pm when Paul & # x27 ; s story aired we could re-patch our and. His scenes and steps into a vulnerability and humanity anchoring the darker moments still! An amber alert that had gone out, was lifted chicken coop after swimming 150...
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