by Ken Knox

The DL Chronicles:
The Complete First Season

Life on the “down-low” is explored in this heavy-handed but revealing effort from here! TV. Damian T. Raven plays Chadwick, an aspiring journalist researching the lives of black men who pretend to be straight while having sex with other men. Divided into four episodes that each explore one particular character, the show casts a revealing and non judgmental light on this cultural phenomenon, and features plenty of buff flesh in the process. Not as self-conscious or stereotypical as Noah’s Arc, it still is often weighed down by showy, self-conscious acting and stilted, on-the-nose dialogue (says one bitter wife to her sexually distant spouse: “We are husband and wife, and let me remind you: It is your duty to have sex with me!” Ugh!), but its heart is in the right place. Extras: Commentary from the producers, a back-lot featurette and an outtakes/bloopers reel. B

Eleven Men Out

If you’re looking for a good time, you could do much worse than Róbert Douglas' standard-but-loveably-so comedy about a gay soccer team. Though uncannily similar in storyline to last year’s Guys and Balls, this Icelandic entry tells a much deeper story with fewer stereotypes and more heart. Studly Björn Hlynur Haraldsson makes a pleasant leading man (though his character's motivation for suddenly announcing his homosexuality to his soccer teammates is never quite clear), and the movie's winsome humor often elicits genuine guffaws. There’s not a whole lot of emphasis on sports to be found here, but the characters are well developed, and the flick is infused by a genuine comic sensibility that makes up for some of its shortcomings. Extras: Three here!-produced featurettes; photo gallery. B+

The Love Boat: Season One, Volume One

Aaron Spelling hit ratings gold—again—with this cheesy guest-star-laden series about romance aboard the Princess cruise ship. A gaggle of high-wattage TV celebs (Suzanne Somers, Meredith Baxter Birney, Jimmie Walker, Patty Duke, Sherman Hemsley, Scott Baio, Kristy McNichol, Robert Urich and—of course—Charo) join series regulars Gavin MacLeod, Ted Lange, Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell and Lauren Tewes in these 12 remastered episodes from the show’s first season. They’re just as silly as you remember, of course—full of groan-worthy puns and dated humor—but watching them again after all these years is like a warm and fuzzy trip down memory lane. But what’s with only releasing half a season? Extras: Sadly, there’s nothing exciting or new here, only some promo spots produced by ABC. B