It's All About Me, Man: Re: [ILoveIshtar] Welcome Aboard!

Monday, July 28, 2008

Re: [ILoveIshtar] Welcome Aboard!

>On Sat, Jul 26, 2008 at 9:47 AM, Ron K. <ronkal1976@verizon.net> wrote:

>Direct them (new members) to my "Ishtar" website.

>www.ishtarmovie1987.com

absolutely!

I'd also encourage new people (and old, if you haven't been there yet) to visit a couple of other sites:

The Homepage for the Waiting for Ishtar documentary:

http://waitingforishtar.wordpress.com/

Jef Leeson's awesome Ishtar fan page:

http://www.ishtarmovie.com/

Bob Helbig's Fan Fiction Sequel, (Telling The Truth Can be) Dangerous Business:

http://www.angelfire.com/pa3/bobhelbig/Telling_The_Truth_Can_Be_Dangerous_Business_index.html

There is lots of evidence out there for intelligent life on planet earth (Ishtar fans) - but it takes some time to dig it out. I have the time, I've done the digging, and I'm happy to share what I learned.

I'm going to close by stealing a comment left on the Waiting for Ishtar site, I thought it beautifully summed up much of what I love about Ishtar:

Mark Oakley Says:
July 2, 2008 at 4:03 am

Well now! This is a funny thing. I never, EVER thought I'd see the day when Ishtar would get an honest treatment. You can measure the integrity of a person in whether they form their own opinions or dance along with group-think. Ishtar is an excellent yardstick in this respect, though I never liked to use it very often as it was sort of depressing most of the time. We live in a world filled with many frightened sleep walkers, and this is a horrible, uncharitable thing to consider.

I saw Ishtar when I was seventeen, and I had no expectations whatsoever because at the time I was a sleep walker of my sort who was incapable of plugging into the notion of hip and cool at any level of society. I didn't know that there was a public opinion with regard to movies, or that one was subtly required to adopt these attitudes. I quite enjoyed Ishtar, but I didn't REALLY REALLY enjoy it per se. That came later as my awareness of the world expanded and I started meeting these wonderful, beautiful creative people who had tons of passion but only moderate talent. People who would never make it big, but who were valid, vital humans nonetheless. Ishtar is bitter-sweet, sad and encouraging and funny and gentle, honest and delusional. It has all the qualities of positive, fragile yet un-stoppable humanity. Chuck and Lyle weren't the sort who would ever write a Simon & Garfunkel song, but I realized at some point that they *were* the sort of people who Simon & Garfunkel might very well have written songs about.

Anyway, some years later I rented Ishtar with a friend, telling him, "You should see this. I remember that it was quite good and I've never understood why it has become so shunned by popular opinion."

–In retrospect, it seems to me that it was more than just the huge budget which turned public opinion against the film. I think instead that it might have had largely to do with the fact that in some ways, High school never really ends for many people. –That is, geeky people like Chuck & Lyle, who are not as talented and not as hip or savvy. . , for some reason those are exactly the kids who are punished by the purveyors of popular acceptance. The popular kids killed Ishtar.

So we watched the film. It has it's flaws, but Oh My GOD! I realized then, (at that point I was in my twenties), that it had some points of utter genius which are almost NEVER seen in film. I didn't realize it as a kid, but it its message was powerful; "Follow Your Bliss." It had Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts and Ray Bradbury written all over it. –And not in that sickly Feel-Good Disney manner which doesn't work. –If you follow your soul, it will carry you to magnificent places of great value, but unlike the false Feel-Good message, those places will often not conform to the narrowly defined, popularly accepted version of success of American Dream fortune as seen on magazine covers. –One's true journey might stop at such places, (why not? Happy, powerful people are often paid attention to), but that is never the goal. Instead, the true journey will take you to incredible, unexpected places, through terrifying challenges, and will teach lessons of much deeper value.

I think that is what horrified many viewers and reviewers of Ishtar. –The popular kids really are the ones who dictate that which is considered proper and 'cool', and the idea of breaking with popular acceptance in order to make difficult journeys for non-material reward is anathema to their mind-set. Abandon slave-hood to popular rule in order to grow spiritually? Argh! Of course it must be shunned! The slaves must not grow strong, must not escape! –And especially when you connect the psychological dots to those 44 million 1980's dollars spent in making the film. . .

Oh, god, Ishtar was an awesome movie!

For anybody who liked Ishtar, there's a less accessible, but in my opinion, even more powerful movie with a similar message. –Also critically panned, also written by a praise-sung genius, and also featuring an otherwise blockbuster cast, (Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.) Go watch, "Joe v.s. the Volcano".

----- Original Message -----

From: matt love

To: iloveishtar

Sent: Friday, July 25, 2008 11:55 PM

Subject: [ILoveIshtar] Welcome Aboard!

I started requiring moderator approval for this group to prevent
spam... so when people want to join, they write a few words about why
they want to join. I approved four new members this month - I ask you,
are not these declarations heartwarming:

Comment from user:
Because I'm one of the few people I know who actually GET IT. I have
very few people I
can talk with about it, this group would be perfect!
Three words: Hot Fudge Love!

Comment from user:
big fan of ishtar ... been working for years to reverse the widely held
misconception of this movie

Comment from user:
I thought I was all alone in this world -- the sole lover of Ishtar. I
can't tell you what it means to me to have found a community.

Comment from user:
I'm a big Ishtar fan. Sadly I didn't see it in the theatre but through
the magic of VHS!

****

Now that they are here, it would be great to have something new to
tell them... the domestic DVD will soon be out... the long awaited
soundtrack album or tribute album, or the Waiting for Ishtar
documentary are soon to be out... but I can say no such thing, I
haven't heard a thing, anybody here heard any exciting news?

I've promised new members that they wouldn't get swamped with email,
but at the same time, I also said it's a warm, welcoming environment,
so if anybody has anything warm and welcoming, please say it.

I'll start by saying "welcome aboard, new members!" Hot Fudge Love, indeed!

--
Love me, love my vids
http://uk.youtube.com/user/mattlove1