The Tenth Annual Mutant Awards: 2007

To add to the mystique and confusion of this year's award ceremonies, the MRFH staff itself had a split decision over whom to hand the Cult Lifetime Achievement award. So we shrugged and went, "Hey, why not both?" So here now we present to you two individuals who have left their legendary mark in the field of cult cinema.

Frank Oz

What is there to say about the man who gave us Grover, Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the greatest little green alien of them all, Master Yoda? Frank Oz is a justly deserved legend of voice acting, and the primary reason so many of us have such fond memories of so many childrens' characters from our youth. It's easy to understate the important of a good vocal actor - hey, we all have voices and can read, how hard can it be? - but try telling me that Skeletor or Starscream or Optimus Prime would have been one-tenth as effective as voiced by Gilbert Gottfried or Jim Varney or Jaleel White. You can't, of course, because it's ridiculous. And what Frank Oz brings to the table, aside from one of the best vocal ranges in the business, is a genuine sense of enjoyment and entertainment to his work. You honestly get the sense in listening to his characters that he likes voicing Miss Piggy, that it must have been a blast to boss around Mark Hamill.

Still, there's only so much you can learn about a man from hearing his voice exude from the mouths of pink and green muppets, so here's a few facts you may not know about Mr. Oz. He was the prison guard in The Blues Brothers who gives Jake back his possessions. He was in many of John Landis's films as a good luck charm, and the one he didn't appear in (Twilight Zone: The Movie) was plagued by production accidents, including several deaths. And despite popular rumor, Fozzie Bear is not named after him. Plus, according to one of my friends, he gets annoyed at being asked why Grover sounds exactly like Yoda. But despite all that, what Frank Oz will always be remembered best for is bringing joy and amusement to generations of children, as well as providing multi-layered humor to kids and adults alike and voicing one of the most memorable characters in the most popular film franchise of all time. And when you get right down to it, that's not too hard a legacy to live with. Thanks for everything, Frank… it may not be easy being green, but you certainly made it seem that way.

I'm delighted to see Frank Oz get the Cult Lifetime Achievement Award this year, because a.) darn it, I'm glad someone I nominated finally got it! and b.) Frank has been with us since childhood - quite literally.

Most Americans of my generation knew Frank Oz from their earliest days (even if they didn't know it) as the puppeteer that performed Bert, Cookie Monster, and Grover. Now, Sesame Street isn't exactly cult, but Lord knows the Muppets have achieved true cult status, and Oz also performed Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Animal, Sam the Eagle, and the hands of my all-time favorite, the Swedish Chef. So many of us (well, at least in my generation) grew up with Frank Oz, and he inhabits some of our geekiest childhood memories.

However, furry monsters and sexually-charged pigs weren't Frank Oz's only puppets. Oh, no. Aside from the cult classics Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, we all know that Oz was the mastermind behind one of the greatest sci-fi mentors ever, Yoda. Granted, by the prequels he was just doing the voice (I think), but still. He's Yoda. But even outside of puppets, Frank Oz has had an impact on the cult world, even if his offerings haven't been as well received. He's done voices for Pixar, appeared with the Blues Brothers, and works frequently with Steve Martin.

He's directed, acted, produced, and written. But most of all, he's introduced millions of children to memories that they geek out about in college, and there's nothing more cult than that!

Tom Savini

Some of you may not know who Tom Savini is, and others of you might crumple your foreheads at our decision to hand this award to a guy who's specialized in gory makeup and effects. This should not sell him short! Only I can sell short these days!

Long before computer graphics made special effects a relative whiz in the park, Mr. Savini was pioneering some of the most incredible movie make-up effects with items as simple as latex, corn syrup and foam. He gained quite a bit of fame through his work in Friday the 13th (arrow through the throat, anyone?) and doing the makeup for Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead, creating zombie looks that instantly became THE standard for the field. He's also done a spot of acting in other cult films, such as Planet Terror.

I'm happy to give Tom Savini his due here on MRFH because it's often so easy to idiolize the directors and actors, without giving much credit to the "other" people who make the films happen: the scriptwriters, the composers and (yes) the effects artists. MRFH loves zombies, and we love you, Tom!

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