Happy Birthday, Emma Watson!
Friday, April 15, 2016 at 8:00AM 
A happiest of birthdays to former blockbuster youngster and now indie starlet Emma Watson! In one of the most charming bits of movie programming serendipity, her new film Colonia is also being released today.
Colonia debuted at last fall's Toronto Film Festival, and is now in select theatres and on VOD. Set during the factual Chilean military uprising in 1973, the film stars Watson as a young woman going undercover within a cult to rescue her lover (Daniel Brühl) from its terrifying captivity. The film looks to deliver morbid thrills against a political background, with Michael Nyqist's variation on an actual cult leader looking like the stuff of nightmares.
While Watson is still beloved by Harry Potter fans for her long-haul performance as Hermione Granger, her post-franchise work in smaller films has steadily shown new shades to the actress. Her best work yet is her turn in Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring, giving a smart, measured take on excess-obsessed youth culture that also gives the film a surprising shot of acid wit. More great work followed in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a performance of subtle emotional maturity that should have earned her the similar praised received by costars Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller.
We missed giving Colonia a YNMS treatment, so check out the trailer after the jump...
Later this year, she'll be in James Ponsoldt's The Circle, a social media satire from the book by Dave Eggers. Next year returns her to big budget spectacle when she enters Disney princess territory as Belle in the live action Beauty and the Beast.
What is your favorite Emma Watson performance?
Reader Comments (8)
Her performance in The Bling Ring was totally on point. "I wannna raaaawb" lol
Best Supporting Actress that year by far!
Her performance in The Bling Ring is one of my all time favorite performances in film. She's extraordinary.
Colonia and Regression were both badly reviewed (31 and 32 on meta critic) and didn't get a proper release. She's lucky to have Disney in her future.
Bling is her best, I agree. She wrecked Perks for me though, striving hard to ACT DEEPLY.
I liked her in Bling Ring & Perks, and I was impressed with how well she did with "Noah" which was an interesting mess of a film.
But her finest role is as UN spokesperson on Feminist issues. Using her powers for good.
Happy Birthday Emma!!
I would definitely say The Bling Ring as she was just a really bad person that I wanted to go out with. I enjoyed the hell out of that film.
i've never seen her in a single thing
but i've watched many many emily watson performances...
God, she was so good in the Bling Ring lol.
"I wanna rob"
"You're stressing me out"
She was one of my best supporting actresses that year for sure
My bf and I watched Colonia a week ago and it was just plain awful. The acting, especially from Michael Nyqvist and Richenda Carey, was horrendous. As I am typing this, I can't even find the words to describe how terrible this movie is - acting, script, dialogue. Just everything.
Two nights ago, I also had the misfortune of watching yet another Emma Watson movie - Regression. As awful as it gets - again. Emma really needs to choose her projects.