Eastern Vortex Friday 25 October 2002, 7:30pm   Two mesmerising UK film premieres at The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, Russell Square   Uzumaki (2001, Japan, dir. Higuchinsky) A haunting live-action adaptation of Junjo Ito's acclaimed manga. It begins with a man obsessively videotaping a snail, and ends with a whole town possessed by spirals from...somewhere else. While it lacks the intense psychedelic horror of the comic, Ukranian-Japanese pop-video director Higuchinsky has created his own bizarre and twisted universe brimming over with surreal visual humour and odd characters. Surprise is of the essence here, so we won't say any more - just see it.   Legend of Zu (2001, Hong Kong, dir. Tsuai Hark) One of the acknowledged masters of Hong Kong cinema, Hark's retelling of his classic Zu Warriors from Magic Mountain is guaranteed to have you spellbound from the first dizzying shot to the last. Combining breathtaking state-of-the-art CGI with the usual pyrotechnic martial arts, Legend of Zu has the look and feel of a live-action cartoon. The plot, almost entirely incomprehensible, is unnecessary to your enjoyment - and when did you watch HK fantasy movies for their plot anyway? - this is eye candy for the soul. Dogged by poor reviews, Zu is unlikely to get a release beyond Asia, so this big(ish) screen viewing is a rare treat.   top