Movie Review: After Earth

Sentimental sci-fi...

Despite being far from M. Night Shyamalan’s best work, After Earth is by far one of the better films he has directed. The father son duo of Will Smith and Jaden Smith crash land on Earth, 1000 years after humanity moved to Nova Prime, due to an environmental cataclysm.

Things didn’t go that well in Nova Prime either, where humanity had to deal with S’Krell, alien creatures who intended to conquer Nova Prime. General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) learnt to ghost his fears and in turn becomes a hero as he defeated the aliens who fed on fear.

After crash landing on Earth however, he takes to the sidelines with Kitai Range (Jaden Smith), his son does all the heavy lifting of running around Earth is search of their rescue beacon. Almost all the species on Earth are now lethal to humans and Kitai needs to prove his chops as a ranger and overcome all adversities to save his father.

If you think the movie has the classic Shyamalan twist at the end, then sorry to disappoint, for it ends exactly as you would imagine.

Even though the script could have been far better - with emotions, for one, keeping the fact in mind that father and son are together millions of miles from their home planet, the film does do a decent job.

Jaden Smith is the main character in this story and he does a far better job than many older actors. Will he grow up to be as charismatic and larger than life as his father? Only time would tell.

Even though After Earth is a bit slow and prodding at times, it is nothing you can’t sit through, and the overall wonder of the storyline makes up for any poor scripting or acting. Watch it this summer, it will definitely make you feel better.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman

ExecutiveMBA

Book Review: Big Data

A look at the larger picture

From the Stone to Digital age, human civilization has processed information and data. This is starting to change, observes Viktor Mayer-Schonberger, Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at the Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University and Kenneth Cukier, Data Editor of the Economist and a prominent commentator, in their latest book, Big Data. They say that we now are entering the world of constant data-driven predictions.

The book begins by citing how Google, on its own initiative, devised means to track the spread and intensity of flu prior to the 2009 health season. Google’s methodology began by comparing 50 million of the most common American search terms with data available with Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, on the spread of seasonal flu between 2003 and 2008. Google’s software found a combination of search terms that, appropriately weighted, strongly correlated with official data. However, unlike the CDC, Google was able to make those assessments in real time, not a week or two later.

There is another interesting case of how Oren Etzioni, a leading US computer scientist was both infuriated and frustrated to learn that many passengers booking a flight after he had, were able to pay less - contrary to conventional wisdom. He then ‘scraped’ information from a travel website from a 41-day period to forecast whether a price was a good deal or not, founding Farecast to offer this new ability.

Etzioni next went on to improve the system by digesting data from a travel site that covered most American commercial routes for a year - nearly 200 billion flight-price records. Before expanding to hotel rooms, concert tickets and used cars, Microsoft snapped up his firm ($110 million) and incorporated it into it Bing.

Authors explain that ‘big data’ are things that can be done on a large scale that cannot be done on a smaller one, and see this offering as a major transformation.

To those who are not aware of the ever changing world of data mining, the duo cites how approximately 7 billion shares change hands every day in finance, two-thirds via computer model direction, Google processing over 24 petabytes of data/day, Facebook getting over 10 million new photos uploaded every hour.

In the age of big data we crunch an incomprehensible amount of information, providing us with invaluable insights about the whats rather than the whys. For those who are puzzled about the importance of big data, authors point out the scientific and societal importance of this data as well as the degree to which it can become a source of economic value. “The world of big data is poised to shake up everything from businesses and the sciences to healthcare, government, economics, the humanities, and every other aspect of society,” says the book. As a result the amount of data is not just growing fast but it is outstripping not just our machines but our imagaination as well.

A few initial chapters identifies and examines different shifts the way in which information is analysed, transformed and how we understand and organize society. This is followed by datification that refers to taking all the information under the Sun and transform it into a data format to make it quantified. Chapters Six and Seven, detail how big data changes the nature of business, markets, and society. Finally it concludes with the following observation. “It doesn’t negate the insights that big data offers, but it puts big data in its place  as a tool that doesn’t offer ultimate answers, just good-enough ones to help us now until better methods and hence better answers come along. It also suggests that we must use this tool with a generous degree of humility.....and humanity.

As every coin has two sides so does big data. The book points out how it erodes privacy and threaten individual freedom and warn us the numbers are more falliable than we think. It draws out a comparison how Apple founder Steve Jobs continually improved gadgets based on intution rather on data while Robert McNamara, US Secretary of Defense during Vietnam War, insisted on statistical rigours to arrive at a decision that led to the United States to escalate the war partly on basis on body counts, rather than to base decisions on more meaningful metrics.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman

ExecutiveMBA

Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

The Enterprise Returns

Every Star Trek has an older audience which waits with bated breath for the next film to come out and a younger one which either becomes part of the Star Trek pack or think it to be bollocks meant for nerds with glasses and acne.

Thankfully Star Trek Into Darkness is not just a film which happily converts a new generation of film goers but also makes the older bunch come out happy and satisfied.

J.J. Abrams, the director thankfully kept the spirit of the earlier films alive without being slavishly tied to it. With a slick style of direction and modern production values, audiences watching a Star Trek for the first time will enjoy its CGI.

Having said that, the most important factor which makes this film tick are the amazing performances by its lead actors. Chris Pine as Captain Kirk was excellent with a highly believable performance in a setting which can easily lose its human touch and look all futuristic and droid-like.

A special mention must be made for Benedict Cumberbatch as John Harrison, the main antagonist of the film. Every single word which comes out of his mouth is scary and without him, the film wouldn't have been so good. With his expressions and cool-gaze he might just be the most cold hearted super-villain you have ever seen.

The plot might not boldly take you to places you haven't gone before but wherever it does take you, is a wonderful place and it would be positively Vulcan to say otherwise.

Overall, it is a great action adventure for all cine-lovers, with slick production values, great special effects and quite a good story. A must watch...

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman

ExecutiveMBA