Almost everybody has played some version of the game Six Degrees of Separation. The most common one involves Kevin Bacon. Simply done, you connect any public figure you can think of to Kevin Bacon in six steps or less. It’s a fun game to play when drinking in a bar with friends but it can get really ugly when playing amongst movie nerds. People will throw shit out there like “Bruce Lee” and you will rack your ever-lovin’ brain until your buzz wears off completely.

However, if you want to get revenge on those guys, suggest a game of Six Degrees of Street Trash. It’s a game that is easier than you may think because Street Trash is not some throwaway '80s' horror title. It’s a good movie with a strong script, good acting and even stronger production values; Not something you would expect from a film whose cover art features a man melting into a toilet. Still, almost anyone in the movie industry can be linked back to this film and, if your opponents haven’t seen it yet, you’ll score points both for knowing your subject matter and for recommending a really great film.

To illustrate my point, throughout the following review, I’ll throw out some examples that will impress your friends and strike fear in the hearts of your trivia nerd enemies. To get things started, here’s an easy one:

Q:  Can you connect Chris Farley to Street Trash?

A:  Chris Farley was on Saturday Night Live where he performed a skit with Patrick Swayze. Swayze was in Point Break, a movie that Street Trash director James Muro worked on as a Steadicam operator.

See, that one is almost a gimme.

Street Trash is the story of two homeless brothers living in an auto junkyard who are just trying to make it through each day alive. Fred (Mike Lackey), the older brother, hustles and steals while interacting with a varied group of winos and bums. Younger brother Kevin (Marc Sferrazza), relies mostly on the kindness of Wendy (Jane Arakawa), the hottie who helps run the junkyard, and occasionally gets an odd job for cash. As if the everyday struggle for survival wasn’t tough enough, the two have to steer clear of the leader of the junkyard’s homeless mafia, Bronson, a homicidal Vietnam vet whose crew terrorizes everyone.

The only real means of escape is through alcohol and, thanks to the local liquor store owner, that’s even a deadly option. The special he’s running is for Tenafly Viper wine he found in his basement. It’s priced at $1.00 a bottle, but it’s so old that it’s gone very bad. One sip and, within seconds, you melt completely.

Throw in a cop trying to bust up Bronson’s strong arming ring and you have a recipe for a fun horror script in the vein of Class of Nuke ‘Em High. This story is rife with opportunities to shock, amuse and gross-out an audience. It’s the kind of script you expect to see the name Troma attached to, but two things set Street Trash apart from films like The Toxic Avenger: its characters have more depth and, more importantly, it doesn’t look like an independent film.

James Muro first wrote and filmed Street Trash as a ten minute short film for a class he was taking at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Among Muro’s teachers at the time was Roy Frumkes. When Muro decided to take the short film and expand it into a feature, he went to Frumkes for help. Frumkes became writer and producer for the feature version of the film, and that was a very good thing. Watching the student film on this DVD and then seeing the feature, it’s easy to see what Frumkes brought to the table. The characters aren’t just stereotypes; they are well-written and well-developed, which is a trend that flows through almost every character in the film, not just the leads.

Scenes where a wino walks into the store to buy a bottle of Viper could have been handled briskly, but in Frumkes hands, the wino gets a speaking part and spills his story to the liquor store owner. It’s hilarious, but also important, because when the wino melts, it goes beyond a casual killing. The same is the case with Bronson’s crew. His “girlfriend” (wonderfully played by Nicole Potter), gets a scene where she loses it on Bronson. The scene really serves no purpose other than to give you an insight into just how desperate her existence is. It adds an element that grimy clothes and exposed ribs alone can’t convey, and she goes from being a casual, secondary character to someone you start to pity.

Show me that in a Toxic Avenger script.

Mixed in with all of this, though, is a humor that is as crass as the subject matter, and that’s a plus. There are fart jokes, racist jokes, and even a game of keep-away involving a severed penis. Still, the movie rises above all of this thanks to great writing and solid acting.

This brings us to our next Six Degrees of Street Trash question:

Q:  Can you connect Eva Mendes to Street Trash?

A:  She was in Hitch with Will Smith, who was a voice in Shark Tale with Robert DeNiro, who was in Goodfellas with Tony Darrow, who plays “Nick Duran”in Street Trash.

That’s another easy one, but it brings us to the incredible acting in this film. Street Trash really does have a great cast full of people who didn’t go on to do much of note afterwards (except of course Tony Darrow). R. L. Ryan (The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke ‘Em High) and James Lorinz (Robocop 3) are the only two that most fans of the genre may recognize, but they, along with Darrow, play bit parts in this film. Jane Arakawa is great in her role as the kind hearted junkyard manager, and she was never seen in film again. Mike Lackey and Marc Sferrazza are fantastic as the two leads. For Lackey, who carries much of the film, this is really saying something as he was a special effects makeup artist by trade. Even the winos are great in their parts. Some were even played by the producer's family members.

The casting could easily have been the weak link in Street Trash, but instead, everyone brings their “A” game.

Next question:

Q:  Can you connect Gwen Stefani to Street Trash?

A:  She was in The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio, who was in Titanic, a movie in which James Muro, director of Street Trash, was the steadicam operator

See, I’m telling you almost anyone can be connected back to someone on this film within six steps. Mostly this can be done through James Muro. Muro’s direction and steadicam work on Street Trash is amazing. More amazing is the fact that he was 21 years old when he shot it. His choice of David Sperling as cinematographer couldn’t have been better either. Together, the two of them made Street Trash look vibrant and alive. It’s full of beautifully framed wide-angle shots and rich bright colors, and the movie moves. Muro’s steadicam work brings this movie to a level most indies never achieve. It is proof positive that a low-budget, independent horror film can be made to look like a multi-million dollar affair.

This movie remains Muro’s sole director credit, but it’s nothing to be ashamed about. He’s gone on to be one of the most in-demand steadicam operators in the industry, working on movies like Casino, Heat, Titanic and even 2006’s Miami Vice. Of the 58 films listed in Muro’s imdb.com entry, there are easily over 30 blockbusters and 20 movies with Oscar nominees. The man is an expert at his craft and Street Trash is a great example of where he was headed.

While this review is getting admittedly long, I can’t wrap it up without a mention of the effects on this film. Simply stated, they’re wonderful. The first melting scene, where a wino slowly and painfully dissolves into an abandoned toilet, is a thing of grotesque beauty. Muro and company dull the horror a bit by having the guy melt into bright blues and greens but, aside from that, it’s a pretty convincing scene even by today’s CGI standards. It’s accomplished through time lapse photography, puppetry and melting wax among other things, and it holds up very well, as do all of the effects scenes. Even the severed penis scene is shot well and looks convincing.

Presentation
Synapse Films did this movie right. In the documentary portion of the DVD set, an example is shown of how the print looked versus how this transfer looks. It’s amazing. The movie pops right off the screen and it sounds great. The soundtrack is crisp and Muro’s use of synthetic music dates it only a little. Listen to the audio when Bronson stands urinating on a fallen victim. You can hear his whistle cleanly but, more importantly, you can hear the urine hitting the dead man’s back underneath.

Again, kudos to Synapse Films.

Extras
Oh, brother, is this thing loaded with extras… and they’re all awesome! 

Case in point, there are two commentaries on this movie. My wife actually sat and watched both because they are so entertaining and informative. She NEVER does that.

The first is a commentary with Producer/Writer Roy Frumkes and the second is a commentary with Director James Muro. There is just no way they could have been any better, even if they had been in the same room. Each tells stories of their side of the production with very little pause in the narrative. Frumkes focuses on characters and stories from the set. Muro gets more technical with the camera shots, etc. but even that’s not dry.

Next up is the two-hour documentary The Meltdown Memoirs, covering the four-year period from pre-production all the way to the release of the film. Frumkes directs it and manages to catch up with the majority of the cast and crew (the two biggest no-shows being Muro himself and Jane Arakawa). It’s a little drier than you would expect but still a great addition to the set.

It also answers the following question nicely:

Q:  Can you connect Ronald Reagan to Street Trash?

A:  He was in Cattle Queen of Montana with Barbara Stanwyck, who appeared in the TV show Charlie’s Angels with Tanya Roberts, who appeared in A View to A Kill with Christopher Walken, who appeared in America’s Sweethearts with John Cusack who appeared in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil with Kevin Spacey who appeared in The Usual Suspects directed by Bryan Singer who was a production assistant on Street Trash.

Also on this set is the Original 16mm student film that Muro shot, a long-lost promotional teaser, the theatrical trailer and a very cool behind-the-scenes stills gallery.

The Bottom Line
Now, the one thing I didn’t tell you up front is that I had never seen Street Trash until I received this DVD in the mail. I’d never even heard of it. This movie came out both in the theaters and later on videotape at a time when I lived in Japan and missed out on a considerably large chunk of American pop culture. The last thing I expected upon looking at the DVD sleeve was that I would be giving this a five pant review.

I am, however, because this movie rocks, the DVD rocks, and you really ought to check it out.