Treatment for BUZZ, A Movie
copyrighted with United States Copyright Office Registration Number Pau 3-412-185 effective 2008
registered with the Writers Guild of America, West Registration Number 1304874 effective 2008
14-page treatment available upon request
Matt is in serious danger on the streets of Chicago after he makes a bad decision. His mom sends him away to Aunt LeeNell, but South Texas is the last place Matt wants to be for the summer. He has to survive the local toughs while he somehow finds a way to get back home. Things begin to look up when he meets Maria. That only leads to more trouble, as her brothers do not trust Anglos. Matt does his best to dodge trouble and get to know Maria. He meets an eccentric beekeeper, who lives out in the mesquite brush, and gets his first job helping out the old man. Matt is about to learn far more about life than he imagines in a summer that changes him forever.
paperback and kindle available on amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/Buzz-Steve-Chicoine/dp/0983393508/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529469249&sr=8-1&keywords=chicoine+buzz
READERS’ REVIEWS OF THE NOVEL ON WHICH THE SCREENPLAY TREATMENT IS BASED
Your book is really good I really enjoyed Review by Katrina Rietveld
The book Buzz was very inspirational. I really loved your book. When Matt gets into a lot of trouble and gets sent to his aunt. He runs into a cowboy who is a bully on his first day there. Matt actually met a girl there and them being together was bad. They went through a lot of things together. Your book was funny, sad and even really interesting. I couldn’t put your book down. It was so interesting. I wish there was a sequel with this book. The title was so great it was different than any title that I have seen.You are an amazing writer and I am excited to read more of your books that you have written. I even recommended it to all my friends and told them to write reviews.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone Review by Mark Nichols
This was a really good book. The book is about a boy named Matt who gets caught up in gang activity and his mom decides to move him to Texas – something he did not like at all. The book had great descriptions of the characters and it would not just cut off after every chapter – the plot transitioned nicely from one chapter to the next. Plus, every character had meaning. All of the characters were significant to the plot. There are some great action-packed parts of the book as well as parts of the
book that were really touching.
Deftly written. Funny. Poignant Review by From a Top Literary Agent
Thank you for letting me consider BUZZ. You are a talented writer. There is much to be admired in these pages. I found this novel deftly written, funny and poignant in all the right places.
New Insight! Review by Simone in Switzerland
Through BUZZ you have given me insight into a way of life that I never would have encountered myself.
Judge a book by it’s cover. Review by Natasha Ann
I picked out this book hoping to read about a romance story like in the Simone Elkeles books. After all there’s a Latino and a white:) However, there should not be any comparison between them, because BUZZ is unique in it’s own way. Judge a book by its cover.
I have to admit, the first thing that attracted me to this book is its adorable cover and the cute name. Then after a friend of mine put in a great word for it, I wanted to read it so bad, hoping to (like I mentioned before) get a dose of teen romance.
Matt never fit in much back in Chicago, he was a troubled teen who got involved in the gang and was quite distant with his mom at home. After a drug deal gone wrong, he was sent to stay with his Aunt LeeNell in South Texas (in the middle of nowhere). Matt had a tough time adapting to the desert, and his situation did not improved when he made a cowboy enemy just as he arrived. But there he met Maria and who knew an eccentric beekeeper could change his life forever?
What is BUZZ? Buzz is a walking philosopher, a life changer, an angel sent in a form of a beekeeper. Okay, I’m exaggerating. Truth to be told, I rarely feel close to a character whose age is beyond 40, but hell, I like Buzz a lot, and I always looked forward to what he has to say. On the other hand, Matt is a character that most teenagers could relate to, and by reading BUZZ we learned and saw how Matt grown throughout the story. He met Maria, whose brothers’ hated Anglos and her people was discriminated against. Yet they fell in love and went through all the obstacles thrown in front of them. I liked Matt’s maturity.
The story was very well written, although in my opinion there are parts of the story which I hope will be elaborated more, however I laughed at the jokes, giggled at their reactions, touched by the warmth between family and friends and angered at the unfairness of it all. And that was all it takes for me to love it.
Reviewed by
Natasha Anne in Malaysia
Dreamland: A Teenage Fantasy
http://dreamlandteenfantasy.blogspot.com/
a good read Review by Terry R
This is a good read. A lot of tension and layers of character development that kept the story moving forward and me engaged. And the novel addresses some serious issues individuals and society are facing. Yet it really is a love story or maybe more a story about love as a solution. I liked it a lot and want to see more like this. This is why I like indie press books.
Other Treatments completed but not registered
Lost in LA (high school mean girls, diversity and ADD)
novel is available through amazon in paperback and ebook formate as Lost in LA by Katie Calhoun (pen name)
- Loved the Character and the Story Review by Middle Schooler
This story was great. I really related to the main character. Even though I don’t have ADD, I found the main character someone I could relate to. As an artist myself I loved how she thought in pictures and colors. There was alot of feeling in the book and as I read it I felt like I could feel what she was feeling. I think anyone would like this book, especially if you like books with characters that tell you about their inside feelings and struggles. - Lost in LA puts a realistic face on this need with JC, doing it with a compelling story that offers better understanding of this for either oneself or for classmates one knows. It is a story that every parent, educator, and teen should read.
Review by Angie Mangino www.angiemangino.com
JC Harris and her mom moved to Los Angeles from rural Texas after her parents divorced. Attached to her dog, Lucky, JC feels comforted by the black sable German shepherd’s loyalty and nonjudgmental nature. Griffith High School is difficult for JC, not only with her struggles in Math class, but also by the school’s social order where the fashion conscious LA in-crowd of the school has mockingly dubbed her “Cowgirl.”“But here is the thing: the only ones who seem to be allowed to do their own thing are the goths and punks and those who style to a particular ethnic identity. It is pretty obvious I am not Black, Latina or Vietnamese so those are not options for me. Seriously, subcultures seem to allow some escape from the high school hierarchy. Truth is I am not a good fit for any of the subcultures. I am just different – a tribe of one.”Her problems at school, however, go deeper than this as her mind wanders in class, ultimately leading to her diagnosis of having an Attention Deficit Disorder. What is especially compelling about this book is the telling from the point of view of a young person with ADD. It delves into the confusion about it, as well as the ways one both experiences it and can work to try to live with it better. The depth of emotions propels this important story to which teens will easily relate.
The author’s note at the end states, “”ADD Inattentive is too often overlooked,” stressing the need for schools “where one’s talents and gifts are celebrated.” Lost in LA puts a realistic face on this need with JC, doing it with a compelling story that offers better understanding of this for either oneself or for classmates one knows. It is a story that every parent, educator, and teen should read.
Chainlink Fence (Texas and undocumented workers)
Thump (teen girls and a Texas cultural tradition)
Going to State Again (Special Olympics)
Civil War episode
The Wisdom of a Dragon
Review of Scott Cooper’s Western film HOSTILES by Steve Chicoine
Some of the “reviews” of the movie Hostiles confuse me. I look to movies for the experience, not for a history lesson. As an historian and an author, I wanted Hostilesto bring the West to life for me. I read enough books to know the history. Yes, I am perplexed as to why the screenplay included a Buffalo soldier serving in a white unit in 1892. That is just ridiculous. And, yes, the story is somewhat of a Western spin on Saving Private Ryan. I try to overlook all of that for the most part.
In any case, I thought Hostiles was a good movie. Not a great movie, although it could have been (but I am not going there). My recommendation is to just experience the movie. Scott Cooper assembled an amazing cast, including Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Stude and Ben Foster. The acting is great; the cinematography magnificent.
The movie has much to say about the insanity of wars past and the ongoing tragedy of man’s inhumanity to man. The past is reflected in the grief and the PTSD of most of the story’s characters. And brutal violence and bloodshed continues as the story evolves. Hostiles offers a glimpse into the darkened hearts & wounded souls of man. Just in case the viewer misses these points, Scott Cooper injects Ben Foster’s character, who faces a hanging for a recent indiscriminate killing. He points out to Christian Bale’s character that they both did much of that in the past, that the only thing that changed was a few years and the government policy toward the indigenous people.
One of the major themes of Hostiles is the cost of war; i.e., what it is that we ask our soldiers to endure in the service of our nation. Another theme is the importance and the challenge of forgiveness & reconciliation. Those are important messages, particularly given the chaotic state of our nation. The themes are timeless. Scott Cooper had a purpose for this movie. He never intended for Hostiles to be an action film. That made parts of the movie seem slow. Still, Cooper could have made a little more effort for historical accuracy.