Tony Nikolakopoulos Movies
- 2003
- R
A bumbling group of jewel thieves become the hottest thing since The Wiggles after dressing up like a children's singing group in order to snatch a priceless necklace. Danny (Nick Giannopoulos) isn't much of an entertainer, so when Marcus (Russell Dykstra) tries to recruit him to lift a necklace from wealthy Aurora Van Dyke (Lena Cruz) he senses an opportunity for some quick cash. Aurora has scheduled a birthday party for her child, and the best-loved children's performers from miles around are coming in for the big event. When the heist hits a hitch and the robbers ditch the necklace to make a daring escape, they thought their ordeal was over. Little did they realize that their group, The Wannabes, made quite an impression at the party, and they've since developed a nation wide following. Now, as Aurora attempts to prove that it was they who tried to swipe her necklace, Marcus does his best to win the heart of Kristy (Isla Fischer), the head criminal ringleader's sister. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Giannopoulos, Russell Dykstra, (more)
- 2000
Australian stand up comedy and TV star Nick Giannopoulos makes his cinematic debut with this wacky comedy about slackers looking for sex. Steve Karamatsis (Giannopoulos) is a gainfully unemployed lay-about who has been called "Wogboy" since childhood thanks to his Greek lineage. He and his Italian buddy Frank (Vince Colosimo) model themselves after John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever ("the biggest wog of them all") and go cruising the local clubs for blonde beauties. Frank, who runs a pizza parlor, is particularly adept at the art of seduction. Later, when Steve's car is involved in a fender bender with a limo of the Federal Minister for Employment, Raelene Beagle-Thorpe (Geraldine Turner), Steve demands compensation even though the accident was clearly his fault. Instead, the minister sicks a tabloid TV reporter on him, hoping to expose him as a welfare cheat. The scheme backfires when Steve's beguiling charm and honesty wins over the reporter. Steve soon finds himself as the poster boy for Australia's unemployed. Trying to get the best spin on the situation, Beagle-Thorpe reluctantly hires Steve as an assistant alongside the comely and blonde Celia (Lucy Bell). ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vince Colosimo
In this gritty Australian drama, the nihilistic son of Greek immigrants indulges in 24 hours of hedonism in ethnically conflicted inner-city Melbourne. Ari (Alex Dimitriades), a 19-year-old layabout, spends his time picking up strange men for furtive sex; dealing, and doing, speed with his friends; fighting with his conservative father and beleaguered mother; and trying to look after his younger sister, Alex (Andrea Mandalis), who's involved in a clandestine relationship with a young Lebanese guy. Although Ari rails against the racism of Australian society, he's also a bit of a bigot himself. And despite his enthusiastic participation in Greek activities -- weddings, fortune tellers, music, and dancing -- he's also repulsed by his culture's intolerance. Best friend Johnny (Paul Capsis), who defiantly dresses up as his own dead mother, is an outcast, but the straight-seeming Ari refuses to drop him. During the course of a single day, Ari fools around with his friend Betty (Elena Mandalis) and several men of various ages and nationalities. He also pines away for Sean (Julian Garner), a dreamy college friend of his brother's, who may offer a loving alternative to self-destructive excess. When Ari and Johnny are arrested and brutalized by a pair of race-baiting cops, however, the chance for redemption seems more remote than ever. Adapted from the Christos Tsiolkas novel Loaded, Head On marked the feature debut of writer/director Ana Kokkinos, herself an Australian of Greek extraction. The film was shown in the Directors Fortnight section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alex Dimitriades, Paul Capsis, (more)
