Author: BRWC

By Emily von Hoffmann.

Can you name even one song popular the year you were born? Odds are, your parents can. Maybe it was playing on the radio as they drove to the hospital, or perhaps it was on their birth mix. To fortify your reminiscences with period-appropriate details, PrettyFamous, an entertainment site by Graphiq, compiled a list of Billboard’s best-selling album for each of the past 60 years.

From our findings, it’s clear that Broadway musicals were once ultra-mainstream; the soundtracks of shows with their original Broadway casts led sales for six years between 1956-1961, and have not done so since. Filling that space to an extent are the soundtracks of musicals on film, which were best-sellers for seven years on our list, most recently with “High School Musical” in 2006. The list contains many debut albums, including those by Jimi Hendrix, Peter Frampton and Whitney Houston, among others. Conspicuously absent are some of the most obvious artists you might name — neither The Beatles nor Led Zeppelin appear here, for example.

Billboard creates their ranking of best-selling albums, called the Billboard 200, using Nielsen SoundScan data. Before 1991, however, the Billboard chart was based on a representative sample of retail outlets. Navigate through to find out which album might have been the soundtrack to your birth.

Research More Albums on PrettyFamous

Widely considered the greatest footballer ever to grace the pitch, Lionel Messi is now the star of an all-new documentary that takes a magnifying glass to his life and career, detailing in minute detail how he rose to become so widely regarded.

The film is the latest in a long line of documentaries that set about examining how sporting icons from across the world start, continue and sometimes end their careers in sometimes sensational, sometimes tragic circumstances. From football to basketball to bodybuilding, the documentary format has long been the go-to genre to explore such complex and richly observed true-life narratives.

To celebrate the release of MESSI, available on DVD and digital HD from 25 August, we’ve listed ten of the very best sports documentaries ever made.

Messi (2016)
From Spanish filmmaker Álex de la Iglesia comes Messi, a fascinating documentary exploring the man behind the legend. Through the opinions of major footballing icons, teammates and friends, Iglesia explores what makes Argentinian icon Lionel Messi the undisputed greatest football player in the world. The result is a documentary that weaves home videos and archive footage with roundtable interviews, to illustrate Messi’s incredible journey and rise to the top.

Next Goal Wins (2014)
This British documentary follows the national football team of American Samoa, a team who have been dogged by defeat since their famous 31-0 loss to Australia in 2001. Following their hopes to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the film is an inspiring story about underdogs who push themselves to be the best they can, despite the cost. It was widely acclaimed by critics, who praised the film as a charming, uplifting documentary.

The Class of ’92 (2013)
Following the story of six young Manchester United footballers at the start of their career with the club in 1992, filmmakers Ben and Gabe Turner gained full access to the stars of their film. Charting the success of the club’s top players David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes, the documentary weaves exclusive interviews with archive footage to follow their rise to the top, from the FA Youth Cup to their Champions League triumph in 1999, which rounded off the Treble-winning 1988-89 season.

Undefeated (2011)
The Academy Award-wining documentary follows the struggles of an underfunded and underprivileged high school football team in Memphis as they attempt a winning season after years of losses. The film looks at The Manassas Tigers who attempt to turn their luck around with the help of their coach Bill Courtney, who ends up transforming the young men into an academic team worthy of the championship title.

Senna (2010)
The BAFTA-award winning film by Amy (2016) director Asif Kapadia follows the career of Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, from his debut at the 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix to his fatal death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Kapadia chose to construct his story by using archive racetrack footage and personal home videos without the heavy use of narration, to tell the story in Senna’s own words. The film follows his rise to the top of the sport, rivalry with teammate Alain Prost and his battle to improve the sport’s safety. The emotionally moving story was widely acclaimed by critics who praised both the filmmaking and the narrative that leads into Senna’s tragic accident.

Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (2006)
This experimental documentary follows French footballer Zinedine Zidane during the Spanish league match between Real Madrid and Villareal CF on 23 April 2005. The match was filmed in real time using 17 synchronized cameras. Though the match ended in disappointment for Zidane, who was sent off during the last minutes of the match, as a result of a brawl.

Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001)
This Sundance-award winning documentary follows the pioneering of the Zephyr skateboard team in the 1970s, who invented the aerial and sliding skate moves. Written and directed by former Zephyr skateboarder Stacy Peralta, the film uses a mix of archive footage shot in the 1970s and contemporary interviews, to tell a story about a group of teenage skateboarders and their influence on skateboarding culture.

Hoop Dreams (1994)
Often regarded as the best documentary of all-time, Hoop Dreams follows two African-American high school students in Chicago and their dream of becoming professional basketball players. The film follows the young boys’ struggle at school, their downfalls and successes, all while commenting on issues concerning race, social class and economic division in the United States. Director Steve James ended up filming 250 hours of footage over eight years, but the result paid off.

When We Were Kings (1996)
Telling the story of the infamous ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ heavyweight championship match in Zaire between Muhammed Ali and George Foreman, When We Were Kings was in production for 22 years before it was released in 1996. The Academy Award winning documentary follows the build up to the fight, featuring archive footage of both Ali being adored by the people of Zaire and the intense fight itself. The film was critically acclaimed upon its release, and it is frequently hailed as one of the best boxing documentaries ever made.

Pumping Iron (1977)
Before his was Conan and the Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger was – well, Arnold Schwarzenegger. He stars as himself in this bodybuilding docudrama which follows his competition with a pre-Incredible Hulk Lou Ferrigno for the title of the 1975 title of Mr Olympia. The film became a box office success and Schwarzenegger quickly became a household name, shortly before he turned to acting.

Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts first wowed critics in bruising crime drama Bullhead (2011), a role that jump-started his career. Filmmakers from across the world quickly came knocking, so enamoured were they with the actor’s ability to find the vulnerability in even the most violent characters.

From Jacques Audiard’s gripping drama Rust and Bone (2012) – in which he starred alongside Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard, to Thomas Vinterberg’s remake of Far From the Madding Crowd (2015), Schoenarts has proved that he is nothing if not adaptable.

His latest film is Disorder, the sophomore feature from writer-director Alice Winocour, in which he plays an ex-solider who takes a job in personal security.

Suffering from the damaging effects of PTSD brought about from his time on the battle lines, he finds that his new job offers little respite from his increasing paranoia.

Slick and tightly composed, Disorder is a tension-fuelled thriller featuring Schoenaerts at the top of his game. Ahead of the film’s DVD and Blu-ray release on 25 July, we’ve compiled the Belgian’s hunk’s finest roles to date.

Disorder – 2016

Schoenaerts plays Vincent, an ex-Special Services soldier who takes a job in security after returning home. When his wealthy employer leaves, Vincent is left to protect his wife Jessie (Diane Kruger) and their child. Schoenaerts gives a chilling performance as Vincent, who suffers from the ramifications of PTSD. This slick thriller deals with Vincent’s paranoia and his uncertainty that Jessie is in danger.

The Danish Girl – 2016

Schoenaerts plays the fictional role of Hans Axgil in the Oscar-winning film The Danish Girl, the latest from Tom Hooper. Hans is an art dealer and childhood friend of Lili Elbe (Eddie Redmayne), who undergoes groundbreaking transgender surgery. As Lili’s wife Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander) confides in Hans, they grow closer and he becomes her friend and confident, causing a rift in her marriage as Lili makes her own choices. Schoenaerts only plays a small role in the film, which rounded off a pretty solid year for his career.

A Bigger Splash – 2015

Starring alongside the likes of Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton and Dakota Johnson, Schoenaerts plays a filmmaker whose Italian vacation with girlfriend Marianne Lane (Swinton), a famous rock star, is scuppered with the arrival of an old friend and his estranged daughter, played by Fiennes and Johnson. Directed by I Am Love (2009) filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, this is a balmy, feisty drama about jealousy, passion and fraught desires.

Far From The Madding Crowd – 2015

Playing one of the suitors in this new adaptation of Tom Hardy’s classic literary love story, Schoenaerts steps into the shoes of English actor Alan Bates to play Gabriel Oak, a sheep farmer who vies for the attention of Bathsheba Everdene (played by Carey Mulligan). At the same time, he’s forced to fend off her other suitors Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge) and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen). Schoenaerts, who was handpicked by co-star Mulligan after she saw his performance in Rust and Bone, is captivating in this richly appealing adaptation of a classic novel.

A Little Chaos – 2015

Directed, written by and starring the late Alan Rickman, A Little Chaos is a romantic drama following landscape designer Sabine (Kate Winslet) who is commissioned to build a garden at the Palace of Versailles for King Louis XIV (Rickman). The story follows her struggles with class barriers as she becomes entangled with the court’s renowned landscape artist André Le Nôtre, played by Schoenaerts.

Suite Française – 2015

Set in a war-torn France in 1940, Suite Française follows the story of Lucile Angellier (Michelle Williams) as she awaits news of her husband, a soldier who’s been taken as a prisoner of war. When German troops start to take up residence in the villagers’ homes, Lucile tries to ignore Bruno von Falk (Schoenaerts), the handsome German officer staying with her, but a powerful love begins to draw them together and into the tragedy of war. Schoenaerts gives an enchanting performance as the soldier who’s torn between his love for Lucile and his duty as a soldier.

The Drop – 2014

His second collaboration with writer-director Michaël R. Roskam, this English-language crime drama sees Schoenaerts playing the small but important role of Eric Deeds, a man who sets off a series of events that lands a bartender (played by Tom Hardy) at the centre of a robbery that goes violently awry. The film also stars Noomi Rapace, John Ortiz and James Gandolfini, in one of his final roles.

Blood Ties – 2013

From Tell No One (2006) director Guillaume Canet, this 2013 crime drama is a remake of Jacques Maillot’s 2008 French thriller Les liens du sang, which itself was an adaptation of Bruno and Michel Papet’s novel ‘Deux frères: flic & truand’. In another supporting – but crucial – role, Schoenaerts plays a criminal who gets caught up in the machinations of two warring brothers on opposing sides of the law (played by Clive Owen and Billy Crudup) in 1970s Brooklyn.

Rust and Bone – 2012

The critically acclaimed Rust and Bone sees two towering performances from both Schoenaerts and his co-star Marion Cotillard. The romantic drama directed by Jacques Audiard follows Ali (Schoenaerts), an unemployed father in his mid-20s who’s looking for work to support his son. When he gets a job as a bouncer in a nightclub, he meets Stephanie (Cotillard) a killer whale trainer who later suffers an accident, causing her legs to be amputated. As Ali and Stephanie grow closer, they begin to question their relationship in a heartfelt story about an exhilarating love.

Bullhead – 2011

Schoenarts planted himself firmly on the acting scene with this gritty crime drama – his first film with Michaël R. Roskam, which was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2012 Academy Awards. Set in Sint-Truiden, Schoenaerts plays Jacky, a monosyllabic cattle farmer who, after being approached to make a shady deal with an infamous west-Flemish beef trader, unleashes his inner fury when a chain of events threaten to expose his past. The film is based on the assassination of a high-profile government livestock inspector in 1990s Belgium.

Let’s face it; it’s a fairly daunting task to save the world all by yourself.  Not to mention, doesn’t having a partner by your side make fighting crime and evil so much more fun?  We think so.

With the upcoming release of Olympus has Fallen sequel, London has Fallen on digital platforms from 11^th July, 2016 and onto Blu-ray & DVD from 18^th July, 2016, the ultimate buddy duo President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and his top security detail Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) are back to save the world from imminent danger once again.  This time, however, the American duo is on foreign ground, in London.  This is new territory for the pair but Asher and Banning remain astonishingly in sync.

Whether they will admit it or not, there does seem to be a special bond, dare we say bromance… that develops between the two men working toward a mutual mission.  Remind you of any other pairs?

From Han Solo and Chewbacca in Star Wars to Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum in 21 Jump Street, we continue to enjoy watching co-dependent male partners on film.  In celebration of the return of the bro-mantic partnership of alpha males in London Has Fallen, here’s a look at some more of our favourite duos that give new meaning to the term “partner in crime.”

President Benjamin Asher & Mike Banning | Olympus has Fallen (2013)  

What binds President Asher and his chief security detail Mike Banning is their mutual allegiance to duty.  Though the friendship began on complicated terms, Asher and Banning eventually came together because of their common understanding that when the world is in danger, it’s no longer important to play by the rules.  Don’t look for sentiment here; Asher and Banner are macho to the core.  The duo is about action, not words, and little of those need be exchanged in order for them to communicate.  Still, rare moments of softness are all we need to see the true depth of dependence, loyalty, and friendship between these two.

Han Solo & Chewbacca | Star Wars (1977)

Perhaps it’s the contrast of a partnership that is one half furry, one half human, but few bromances are more endearing than that between Hans Solo and Chewbacca.  One of the toughest partnerships in space, Han and Chewy are nothing but a pair of softies in each other’s presence.  We need not understand Chewbacca’s native tongue, nor see his face behind all that fur to understand the love in both his words and face when communicating with Han.  Likewise, as lethal as Han may be as an opponent, he is powerless to the requests of his beloved partner.  Leia may have written Han Solo off years ago, but at least Han can always count on Chewy to be his trusty sidekick.

Roger Murtaugh & Martin Riggs | Lethal Weapon (1987)  

Riggs and Murtaugh: like salt and pepper, like peanut butter and jelly, like cookies and milk; though completely different, these duos are simply better together than apart.  When seasoned Vietnam vet and long-time LAPD homicide detective, Murtaugh, and volatile ex-special forces and LAPD narcotics officer, Martin Riggs are forced to team up on a homicide case, neither man is at his best.  Murtaugh has just turned 50 and is feeling a bit insecure about his age.  Alternatively, Riggs is suicidal after the recent loss of his wife.  The relationship starts off on a rough note, however, after Riggs comes through for Murtaugh in a critical moment to save his life, deep trust is solidified between the two.  Murtaugh welcomes Riggs into his home, and we go on to see the dynamic duo  fight badass LAPD crime in three subsequent sequels.

Agent K & Agent J | Men in Black (1997)

Old school and cool, Agent K and Agent J may have different approaches to just about everything, but when it comes to fighting aliens, one is the yin to the other’s yang.  In Men in Black, Agent K was slow to accept Agent J.  However, by the sequel, Agent K has come to look at Agent J as a son.  Agent K has taught Agent J everything he knows, and Agent J has taught him a few things in return.  One of Will Smith’s breakout films opposite unlikely partner Tommy Lee Jones.

Woody & Buzz Lightyear | Toy Story (1995)

One wears a cowboy hat and carries a lasso, while the other wears a space suit and shoots laser beams for protection.  However, despite differing means of doing so, Woody and Buzz are united by their mutual love for their owner Andy, and duty to protect him and the other toys of Andy’s room from harm.  Woody and Buzz demonstrate that the power friendship transcends all boundaries, and loyalty makes a good partnership impenetrable. You got a friend in me…

Detective Inspector Lee & Detective James Carter | Rush Hour (1998)

The unlikely pairing of the arrogant and impetuous LAPD Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) and the respected Chinese Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) on a case to track down the Chinese Consul’s kidnapped daughter is the beginning of a bromance that makes for comedy gold. Kung Fu tradition meets LA street smarts, cultures clash, and jokes fly.  However throughout the mission, Lee and Carter learn much more from each other than they expect.  Though the two detectives feign annoyance with one another, there is an endearing appreciation and respect between the two that makes the partnership unforgettable.

Frodo & Sam | Lord of the Rings (2001)

They may not be what we think of as traditional heroes, but this humble hobbit duo make up one of the most compelling bro buddy partnerships to ever touch the silver screen.  When Frodo is tasked with destroying a legendary ring inherited from his uncle, his life-long friend Sam willingly agrees to join him for the perilous journey.  Two sensible hobbits with no previous ambitions for personal heroism, Frodo and Sam bravely fight some of the toughest obstacles ever written.  We love an underdog, and this partnership of two undeniably charming underdogs makes for a surprisingly fierce and deeply captivating team.

Mortan Schmidt & Greg Jenko| 21 Jump Street (2012)

When the high-school heartthrob, Greg Jenko and class nerd, Mortan Schmidt team up seven years later in the police force for an undercover mission as students at their alma matter, their identities get mixed up.  Unsuspecting Schmidt finds himself in the cool crowd, while Jenko struggles through the advanced placement track.  The team help each other navigate unfamiliar territory, and in the end, Jenko learns enough chemistry to make a home-made bomb that saves the day, while Schmidt enjoys a small slice of popularity to give him the confidence he’s always lacked.  In a hilarious comedy of errors we see how two unlikely friends help each other to become the best policeman they can be, and an unstoppable force.

LONDON HAS FALLEN On digital platforms from 11^th July, 2016. On Blu-ray & DVD from 18^th July, 2016 courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment