WORDY . . .

Speaking of critics: The New York Times’ Janet Maslin said of “Ishtar” that “it’s hard to believe that those who compare it with classic megabuck flops like ‘Heaven’s Gate’ and ‘Howard the Duck’ could realistically equate the ordeals of sitting through either of those films with the lighthearted pleasures of this one.”

Ah, how quickly they forget. Last August, she was one of the very few reviewers who didn’t savage “Howard” and was thus commemorated in the film’s ad campaign.