That's It LA

From July 17 through August 15, The Grove is hosting LIVE SEOUL, a month-long pop-up celebrating the best of Korean beauty and lifestyle experience created through EESEOL, a curated lifestyle platform that introduces emerging korean brands and connects global consumers with the latest trends from Seoul. As someone who loves discovering Korean products and embracing my Korean heritage, this is definitely an pop-up I’m excited to check out.

Homer’s “The Odyssey” is one of the greatest stories ever told. While it has been adapted countless times over the centuries, Christopher Nolan reimagines the epic in a way that feels remarkably accessible to modern audiences, thanks to its contemporary language and global cast, who deliver stellar performances. For all its gods, monsters, and sweeping spectacle, Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is ultimately a deeply human story about homecoming, loss, leadership, and the cost of finding your way back.

Disney’s 2016 animated “Moana” became one of the studio’s defining modern classics, introducing audiences around the world to a story rooted in Pasifika culture, wayfinding, identity, and self-discovery. Nearly a decade later, Disney returns to Motunui with a live-action reimagining directed by Thomas Kail, starring Catherine Lagaʻaia as Moana and Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui. However, the question is not whether “Moana” still works. Her story is worth telling no matter the medium.

When it comes to the “Minions” films, part of the “Despicable Me” franchise, it’s best to remember that these endearing yellow, pill-bodied characters are at their funniest when chaos is the point. These films have always been thin on plot, leaning instead into the mischief, mayhem, and escalating absurdity that the Minions can create and maximize.

Very few films about grief are able to sit with loss without turning it into a lesson, a speech, or an emotional endurance test. Phuong Mai Nguyen’s adaptation of AJ Dungo’s 2019 graphic novel “In Waves” understands that grief does not work like that. It does not arrive neatly, and it does not leave just because someone has learned how to move forward. It comes back in unexpected ways, reshaping how someone sees love, memory, and even the places that once made them feel alive.

Netflix came to the Annecy Animation Festival with more than just anime on its mind. While the streamer had plenty to share on that front, its larger animation slate showed just how wide the medium can stretch. There are fairy tales being rewritten, deeply personal love stories finding new life through animation, retro sci-fi mysteries, and even a fresh group of ghostbusters ready to clock in for the night shift. What makes this slate exciting is how different each project feels from the next.

If Superman is the symbol of hope and truth, then Supergirl represents a departure from the traditional, infallible superhero. Here, Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) is a deeply scarred, cynical survivor defined by resilience. But while this cinematic adaptation understands that it is okay to be messy and vulnerable, its uneven execution keeps those ideas from soaring as high as they should.

Netflix is making it clear that anime is not just a category on the platform. It is one of the streamer’s biggest global plays. During its Anime Studio Focus at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Netflix unveiled a packed slate of upcoming anime titles, offering new trailers, first looks, images, and updates on both original projects and highly anticipated adaptations. The showcase highlighted how much Netflix is investing in anime as a global form of storytelling.

As a longtime Ricky Gervais fan, I was excited to attend Netflix’s Annecy Animation Festival presentation, where I got an early look at Alley Cats, his upcoming adult animated series. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed his work across TV, stand-up, and film, seen him perform live, met him at the Muppets Most Wanted premiere, and appreciated his advocacy for animal welfare. I was thrilled to be part of the event and among the first to see the trailer. Alley Cats.

The “Toy Story” franchise has always understood that even as technology evolves and childhood changes, a child’s need for imagination, companionship, and play remains the same. It is the kind of series that seemed like it should have ended with its third film, only for each new installment to remind us why these toys still matter.