I have this recurring nightmare, usually after enduring a string of mediocre flicks, that I'm stuck in a room with 1,000 movie cameras aimed at me, like a massive cinematic firing squad. I'm not sure what a therapist would say about that dream, or Richard LaRiviere who's almost making it come true this weekend.
LaRiviere, 64, is literally a film buff, owning Riverboat Nudist Club in Land O'Lakes. His devotion to cinema led to collecting movie cameras by the hundreds since 1964. Now he's shooting for Guinness Book of World Records fame, displaying more than 900 movie cameras -- no duplicate models -- this weekend at the reborn Beaux Arts gallery, 709 S. Missouri Ave. in Clearwater.
The official camera count will be held Friday at 8 p.m., with results sent to Guinness for verification and possible inclusion in its next annual roundup of unique records. The current record holder (600) lives in Athens, Greece.
The camera exhibit -- along with props from such films as The Corpse Bride and Cleopatra -- is part of a weekend celebration of Beaux Arts re-opening. Doors open Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m.; Sunday at 12 noon to 6 p.m. Admission is $10 for a 3-day ticket, with proceeds going to the Museum of Motion Pictures and Television.
Beaux Arts used to be a St. Petersburg cultural institution where artists including Jim Morrison, Jack Kerouac and Marilyn Monroe hung out.
In a news release, new owners Jay “Hunter” Loiselle and Chris Skillman say the new Beaux Arts will “foster an inclusive art culture that incorporates a cross-pollination of art, music, film, writing, sound and performance.” For more information, contact Loiselle at (813) 251-6444 or Skillman at (727) 520-4102.
Steve Persall is the movie critic for the St. Petersburg Times. He was conceived behind a drive-in movie theater his father operated and raised in projection booths and concession stands. He doesn't care how you did it up north.
come see it!
Posted by: twitter.com/IrisJewels | November 04, 2009 at 08:19 PM