Rating: 
Summary: WELL CONCEIVED FILM
Review: i ordered this movie on a total hunch having no idea what it was really about or without having heard anything about it. i would like to say that my gamble paid off. this movie is very interesting because it reaches out in so many levels. first you have the main character, ari ( i hope i spelled that right), who is a young man in a strange place. he is a greek living in australia b/c of immigration. he has grown up there but the culture does not accept the greeks. he is gay and a drug user and likes to have anonymous sex. he, in his view, is living his life the way he wants. he has no apparent direction to his life, but he has high plans for the future. he has a friend who is a drag queen and they go out and have an interesting night. ari does not get along with his father, loves his mother and his family. all of these aspects come into play throughout the movie. it is a brief glimpse into his life, but the glimpse is very vivid and telling. he is closeted to all but his family, but acts like he could care less for them to find out. he never thinks clearly mostly b/c he is usually high on some sort of drug. the movie moves very fast b/c it is supposed to be an effect, like seeing the movie thorugh his eyes as if you were watching the film on drugs. in the end you ultimately feel sorry for ari because he does not know what to do with his life. he is a lost soul with no one to help lead him. he desires love and affection and above all acceptance, but the contradiction is that he will not let anyone near enought to offer him the support he desires. this is a very good coming of age film and is useful in showing how a life can spin out of control. great film, i highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Reality at its darkest
Review: I saw this film in the theater last fall (1999), and the protagonist Alex's self-destructive quest into hard drugs and graphic anonymous unsafe sex still haunts me. Hitting close to home, the movie helped me realize certain things about the nature of many gay men torn between being accepted by society and being accepted by oneself. The film, more than just one down note after another, says that sometimes we cannot have both. Alex needs to express his homosexuality but has grown up in a strict orthodox Greek family in Melbourne, Austraila. The family serves as a microcosm for today's critical attitude toward homosexuality and Alex as a symbol for the gay man's (and gay woman's) struggle for acceptance. Since he can't have both, he doesn't want either. And Alex -- a beautiful, heart-breaking, masculine man -- fills his day with the most gratuitous, disturbing acts imaginable. But the film somehow breaks through the barrier of self-pity and self-loathing by portraying the most extreme nature of gay men in a way that distances itself just far enough. We the audience promise never to get as bad as Alex. We walk away shaking our heads, trembling from a life that's never too far from our reaches. Head On is a must-see for any gay man struggling with identity and how it's better to accept the hate of others than to accept it as a part of yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent portrayal of cultural gaps in gay and ethnic world
Review: If you can get past the good looks of the star- Ari (Alex Dimitriades)- and this is not easy....he offers excellent acting and insight into the clash between old world ethnicity and the closets many such worlds have. The hypocritical world in Greece, Austrialia (where this occurs) and around the world is tragically mixed with drugs, homophobia, and sexual identity conflicts in both Ari's world and the straight world. We see many play the game and also understand Ari is not the only one who hides a secret from his family. Ana Kokkinos (director) provides some striking images and allows Ari to explore, fight and ultimately feel insignificant in the scheme of things. It is not the most upbeat movie, but does show strength and determination to be who you are in spite of such pain. The Greek culture is one of many in which ties run deep and families blindly follow and with dysnfucntionality. A good film that educates and provides emotional empowerment without the over-emphasis on sex which was not easy considering Ari.
Rating: 
Summary: The Angry Young Man Down Under
Review: It's wonderful to be able to recommend a gay-themed movie that doesn't pour on a lot of pc platitudes about the nobility and martyrdom of misunderstood gays. Or that doesn't try to envelop us in propagandistic sickly sweet sentimentality that attempts to show how the gay world is one big happy, touchy-feely family of "normal" types. Reality, as this film shows, proves the opposite to be true.The star of this independent film, and really the only reason for seeing it, is Alex Dimitriades. He plays a darkly handsome, heavily sensual male gigolo waiting for his sugar daddy. He's so believably screwed up, however, that he never gives anyone a chance to get near him. You can see the angry edginess in his eyes--he's too smart to accept the bourgeois dream of marriage, a serious work ethic, and life in the suburbs that his traditional Greek parents wish for him--he won't even bother to get a job. He'd rather spend his days stoned and sated by the furtive, sleazy sexual encounters, usually in alleys, he indulges in. The rest of the time he rails at everyone within reach for their shoddy dreams and for selling out to conventional morality. And yet he's traditionally macho in spite of himself--when his sister's virtue is compromised by a rival Lebanese youth, he tries to beat him up--while at the same time being ashamed of his Greek background and particularly his traditional strict father, who won't even bother to speak English. And when Alex finally does get a chance to be with a guy who wants more from him than anonymous sex, he screws that up too. He turns his back on family, friends, and love. He's committed to the shadowy, superficial life of gay sex in the fast lane, even though deep down he wants something more but he can't bring himself to be open to it. He's a romantic in spite of himself. Unfortunately, the movie surrounding Alex Dimitriades' performance falls short. None of the other characters seem to be as believably fleshed out as he is, and some scenes just seem unnecessary. The director may have been trying to do too much. She does pull off a few bravura effects, including a striking finale with Alex miserably consigning himself to a life of promiscuity on the margins of society followed by his performance of a traditional Greek dance. It's lyrical, romantic and despairing all at once. This character is fully tragic--he realizes his limitations all too well and yet can't stop wishing for more. He's too smart to hope. Alex Dimitriades' performance rings so many bells about what it's like to be young, gay, smart and going nowhere and hating yourself for it that it puts all other so-called serious gay cinema to shame.
Rating:
Summary: Aussie "Warriors"
Review: Many years ago I watched "Once were Warriors". I cried for my countries failure to address race and violence problems. Head On struck me as the Aussie version of "Warriors" - substituting (homo)sexual and drug themes for violence.
Head On covers topics I cannot identify with - partying and drugs, lack of a work ethic. I could understand the sexual (Family versus feeling) and racial conflicts. Not a great movie; but thought provoking and worth watching once.
Rating:
Summary: A Must See! Period!
Review: Rarely can a movie ever make you understand a charecter as intense as this one. It is certainly a must see and have for the curious minded everywhere. This movie will make you surely examine your own behavior and thoughts. I recommend it highly!
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Must See Movie
Review: Rent it, buy it - borrow it. This is an excellent movie.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Must See Movie
Review: Rent it, buy it - borrow it. This is an excellent movie.
Rating:
Summary: Sick Twisted Unreal I Liked It
Review: Story of Ari who is torn between several worlds and in reality he's being torn apart. He doesn't know if he's coming or going throughout the whole movie but you know what it somehow hits it dead on like it's real life. Worth watching over and over again! Not to stereotype but this should be on the movie list of every gay individual out there as they will relate to this movie because it actually caught the lifestyle most gay men live when they are younger like Ari and also what they feel inside. Most individuals will relate with this film in one way or another.
Rating:
Summary: An Undiscovered Masterpiece
Review: The film addresses profound human themes through the experiences of a young working-class Greek Australian straddling worlds between wog and anglo, gay and straight, and struggling to find his place and his purpose. The riveting, thought-provoking story, a mesmerizing performance by Alex Dimitriades and an impressive supporting class, combined with Kokkinos' brilliant direction make this one of the greatest independent films I have ever seen. Potential purchasers should know that the film contains full, graphic (mostly male) nudity and explicit scenes of gay sex. It may therefore not be appropriate for many viewers. In my view, however, the nudity and sex are not included for prurient purpose, but rather to - very effectively - convey the protagonist's absolute vulnerability and his anger and confusion regarding his sexuality.
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