Notebook Letters 8.

Zombie invasion

Favourite zombie movies: Romero's Night Day and Land of The Dead, Cemetery Man, Fido, Dead Girl, Return of The Living Dead, Zombie Flesh Eaters and Dead Heat. Can't wait for Romero's Survival of The Dead. Jim, Portsmouth

Personally, I will give any film genre a go. Paul, Hants

If Tony Jaa made films in the USA they probably wouldn't be any good! Really want to see Ong Bak 2! Andrew, Cambs

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 8th of October, 2009; 5/6.

The invention of split opinion

I went to see The Invention of Lying and I thought it was a great and enjoyable movie. Bob, Birmingham

The Invention of Lying left me with The Invention of Dying. It's awful stuff. Jim, Halesowen

Funny People- I thought it was not funny at all. Good acting, terrible script and diabolical jokes. Mea, Cinderford

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 8th of October, 2009; 6/6.

Master of the film titles

Best film titles: The Cynic, The Rat And The Fist, The Amazing Mr No Legs, Rome Armed To The Teeth, Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue, Master of The Flying Guillotine, Q- The Winged Serpent, Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man. Kenny- Ip Man's amazing. Eddie, Belfast

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 8th of October, 2009; 6/6.

3D's no treat for him

Richard- You are right. I was born with astigmatism and cannot see 3D properly. I have the same problem with those optical illusion pictures. It's a right pain. Rosie, Andover

Peter- The Incredible Shrinking Man is a classic but you don't have to wait until Christmas. Amazon is doing the Classic Sci-Fi Collection for £9.98. It includes the above plus five other brilliant films. Shaun, Hertford

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 9th of October, 2009; 2/6.

Imports worth the effort

t rivers- In a similar vein to the films you mentioned, I'd suggest Saviour of The Soul, Butterfly & Sword, Swordsman II and The Heroic Trio 1 & 2. You'll have to get them imported from Asia, though, as they're not readily available over here. Also, although it's old now, track down Bey Logan's book, Hong Kong Action Cinema- an invaluable guide. Karlos, Hull

Horror fans should watch Splinter. A straight-to-DVD gem. Barrie, Edinburgh

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 9th of October, 2009; 3/6.

Saikano doesn't play it safe

I can't believe I'm saying this but I agree with mondo. Series such as Saikano take safe TV plots and turn them on their head. Saikano being a simple boy-meets-girl story, the twist being the girl is a WMD being used in a new world war. OWA, Glasgow

I fondly remember my introduction to horror movies- the BBC2 Saturday night double bill of the the late 1970s. This consisted of a 1930s or '40s classic followed by a Hammer. Nicko, Derby

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 9th of November, 2009; 4/6.

zombieland died too soon

I went to see zombieland and enjoyed it. I thought woody harrelson was well cast and Bill Murray's scene playing himself was one of the highlights. My only problem was the film was too short at just over 80 mins. Baz, Sunderland

Re: roman polanski. Don Johnson was living with Melanie Griffith when she was 15. Is it okay when the celeb is good looking? polanski drugged the girl, so should be punished. Gary, Liverpool

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 9th of October, 2009; 5/6.

Anime irony

So you, mondo, find Disney/ Pixar "pretentious and patronising", and prefer Japanese Anime? Oh, the irony! Chris, Welwyn

Has anyone ever been to the cinema and had someone laughing loudly all the way through the film? Just wondering. H, Basingstoke

Best films for their soundtrack: Streets of Fire, Rocky 4, Over The Top, Eddie And The Cruisers. Steve, Hexham

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 9th of October, 2009; 6/6.

Quotations of the week

"All I've bought in the last 11 years was a Burberry tartan cashmere scarf." Ian Brown gets so many freebies that he hasn't been clothes shopping since '98.

"That could be a long way off as yet, but you never know." Liam Gallagher doesn't rule out making up with Noel.

"It had no connection with the long-term problem and was selfish." Tom Smith didn't like Radiohead letting fans get In Rainbows for nothing.

1/6.

The week ahead in radio

Li'l' Wayne is on Tim Westwood (Radio 1, Sat, 10pm) and Frank Turner is on Zane Lowe (Mon- Thu, 7pm).

Biffy Clyro are the subject of Stories (Mon, 9pm) and get a Zane Lowe special.

Serge Gainsbourg gets a Radio 2 special (Tue, 10pm) and Goldie hosts the two-part Rap Revolution (Sat, 9pm). The Raveonettes and Editors are on Dermot O'Leary (Sat, 3pm) and The Hot Rats do Radcliffe & Maconie (Mon- Thu, 8pm).

2/6.

The week ahead in TV

Kasabian are on Jonathan Ross (BBC1, Fri, 10:35pm). Editors and Mpho are on 4 Music (C4, Sat, 12:20am).

The Killers, Chairlift and Florence And The Machine start Live From Abbey Road (C4, Sun, 12:10am).

Devendra Banhart, Wolfmother, La Roux and Seasick Steve are on Later Live (BBC2, Tue, 10pm). Alex James hosts NMT Buzzcocks (BBC2, Thu, 10pm) with The Veronicas guesting.

3/6.

The week ahead in gigs

Spandau Ballet return to touring after 20 years from Tuesday.

Vampire Weekend play a one-off London gig on Thursday, the day after Deadmaus does a one-off show.

Frank Turner tours from Thursday, with Idlewild starting on Saturday and The Hot Rats from Sunday, while continuing tours include Bloc Party, Baddies, Peter Bjorn And John, Fake Blood, Groove Armada and The Big Pink.

4/6.

Champs of the week

axl rose Mew singer Jonas Bjerre told PS this week that, when the band were making their new album in New York, rose hired the Electric Ladyland studios there for the day- to play table tennis.

rose loved the table at Jimi Hendrix's old studios so much, he hired the whole studio just so he could take over the table for the day. Now, whatever your thoughts on chinese democracy, that is proper unhinged rock star behaviour.

5/6.

Chumps of the week

Bono Yes, it's a fish in a barrel to attack him, but appearing in a video link at both David Cameron and Gordon Brown's conference speeches is indefensible egomania. Just what point is he trying to make?

Bombay Bicycle Club Admitting they hate their name, but are stuck with it, which is the same feeling most people who bought their album probably have too. As if its title, I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose, is any cop.

6/6.

Teletext page 824; 9th of October, 2009.

Sequels and prequels

Can anyone tell me if there is going to be a Dog Soldiers 2 or An American Werewolf prequel? Dean, Newport

Vortex: Dog Soldiers 2 has stalled. Insiders claim An American Werewolf In London prequel could arrive in 2011.

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 10th of October, 2009; 1/6.

Laughter the best medicine?

Was it a comedy by any chance, H? Matth, Wakefield

H- At Burn After Reading, there was a bus load of old people. They laughed the whole way through. They especially liked the shooting in the wardrobe scene. Bizarre. P, Belfast

H- Some guy behind me was laughing and smoking a cigar once. I turned round and saw it was Robert De Niro. It ruined the film. Jim, Cape

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 10th of October, 2009; 2/6.

Aniston's plastic fantastic

c- Jennifer Aniston is another from the Stepford School of Acting- all beautiful plastic without any depth or soul. You want on-screen sparks, you need to go all the way back to the films of Bogart and Bacall or Tracy and Hepburn. There have been others since in every decade except this one, but Vortexters may disagree. mondo, kernow

My worst films are anything with Ben Stiller in them. I would rather watch grass grow. Johna, Durham

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 10th of October, 2009; 3/6.

Zombieland a scarefest

I'd just like to say how great the Zombieland review is. I had a feeling the movie was going to be something special and anyone who has ventured into a city centre shopping mall can't help but think they've entered the set of Dawn of The Dead. Hilariously scary. t rivers, suss*x

So has Baz just ruined Zombieland's surprise? If so that is really bad. Thanks for spoiling something I have enjoyed hearing. Nick, Ilford

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 10th of October, 2009; 4/6.

Harper's Island killer is...

Why does the editor allow the identity of the comic actor cameo in Zombieland to be revealed before most people have seen the film? Next, the identity of the killer in Harper's Island will be revealed on the TV letters page. Richard, Kingswinford

Vortex: We're assured by Victor Olliver the reveal of the star's name won't ruin the film for you, although he did leave it out deliberately.

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 10th of October, 2009; 5/6.

Red Cliff red hot

I have just watched the full-length version of Red Cliff. John Woo has outdone himself. The film is breathtaking. My only complaint is the subtitles were too pale, making them difficult to read and also were too fast. James, Omagh

Richard- Thanks for advice, will book a test ASAP. I tried seeing Final Destination. It just gave me a headache, but this could be because it's a lousy film? Duane, Hull

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 10th of October, 2009; 6/6.

Is Justice League being made?

Does anyone know if Warner Bros are going ahead in making a Justice League movie and who will be in it? Jim, Perth

I read that Hong Kong film studios have made a new Bruce Lee bio, anyone know anything about this? Cuzi, Liverpool

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 11th of October, 2009; 1/6.

Ong Bak 3 is the pick

Kenny- Ong Bak 2 is called The Protector for the UK market. I saw Ong Bak 3 in Thailand and it is the best of the three. Steve, Stockport

Duane, Hull- True 3D is the most fantastic cinema experience ever. Imax cinemas show it supremely well. I've been in an Imax cinema and seen the movie stars themselves in the audience. You haven't lived until you've seen an Imax 3D movie. Bob, Birmingham

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 11th of October, 2009; 2/6.

Daniel and Eva's chemistry

mondo- I thought Daniel Craig and Eva Green had great chemistry in Casino Royale, the best since Patrick McNee and Diana Rigg. Peter, Wakefield

Was I dreaming or did I read someone say that Jason Statham was the best white movie martial artist to date? That's wrong on so many levels, not the least being that he isn't even a martial artist! Check out Gary Daniels instead to see a real master in action. John, Darlington

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 11th of October, 2009; 3/6.

Jaa should avoid Hollywood

The last thing Tony Jaa should do is go to the US. Firstly, the purity of his action scenes will be lost. Secondly, they wouldn't insure him. Nine out of 10 Asian imports, given Hollywood gloss, fail miserably. Lee, Barnsley

Does anyone know of any new Winona Ryder movies coming out? I watched the Informers but it was really dull and she was not in it that much. Charley, Worksop

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 11th of October, 2009; 4/6.

Bad Taste but still good

It may not be classed as a zombie film but Peter Jackson's Bad Taste is intentionally hilarious. The original Defay of The Dead is still the best though. Sniper, Sheffield

mondo- I believe that Jennifer Aniston's "not bad" but she's no looker. Nor do I classify her as a big-name watchable talent, rather she is just another soap star. That's it. Nina, London

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 11th of October, 2009; 5/6.

Shrinking Man still a hit

Cheers to Chris and Dodger re: The Incredible Shrinking Man. I've managed to buy a copy at long last, I was going to save it for Christmas, but had to watch it last night. It is still great after all these years. Peter, Saxmundham

Has anyone who writes in to Vortex seen Vinyan: Lost Souls? If so can they say whether it is any good? Matt, St Albans

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 11th of October, 2009; 6/6.

* Planets may have black plants.

* Chimps give birth like humans.

* Dinosaurs suffered from toothache.

10 things we didn't know last week; Ceefax page 129; 22nd of April, 2011; 1/3.

* Swearing relieves pain.

* Cuckoos copy hawks.

* Supermarkets still give away cardboard boxes for nothing.

* The world's smallest caravan measures 6ft 7in (2m) by 2ft 6in (75cm) and has a top speed of 5mph.

10 things we didn't know last week; Ceefax page 129; 22nd of April, 2011; 2/3.

* A rare version of God Save The Queen by the S*x Pistols is the most valuable record of all time.

* Spies used to engrave messages on toe-nails.

* Soap and water can be better than hand gels and wipes at tackling germs.

10 things we didn't know last week; Ceefax page 129; 22nd of April, 2011; 3/3.

What do you think of remakes?

I am so tired of these inferior remakes. Halloween 2 is a terrible mess. Jim, Halesowen

Does anyone know if Warner Bros are going ahead in making a Justice League movie and who will be in it? Jim, Perth

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 12th of October, 2009; 1/6.