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List Price: $24.95 | | Label: Liberation Ent
Salesrank: 18570
Released: February 5, 2008 |
| Our Price: $13.83 |
| Used Price: $13.82 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
"The DL Chronicles" tells the stories of men of color who by consequence and by choice, live sexually duplicitous and secret lifestyles. The "Down Low" is a slang term sometimes used to refer to African-American men who identify themselves as straight, but secretly engage in sexual activity with men. They date women, have children, and often marry in an effort to appear heterosexual to the public. Most of these men do not identify as gay or bisexual and refuse to be associated with the gay identity or gay community.
Description of The DL Chronicles: The Complete First Season:
Four episodes comprise the first season of the DL Chronicles, about black men "living in a gray area" between gay and straight, according to the narrator Chadwick Williams (Damian Raven). The drama is framed as if Williams, a journalist introduced in the first episode, is sharing each story to enlighten viewers to the complexities of being an out gay man in various African-American communities. The shows, titled "Wes," "Robert," "Boo," and "Mark," describe these men's sexual situations, ranging from complete cover-up to their near-comings out. Wes Thomas (Darren Schnase) is a married real estate banker whose infidelity is kept under tight wraps. Robert Hall (Terrell Tilford) falls in love with Austin (Kareem Ferguson), a local store manager, but is terrified of his daughter finding out. Boo is faced with homophobia and outright prejudice everywhere he turns, and becomes doubly anxious about AIDS. The last episode, "Mark," turns the series around, by showing an example of a man who has just decided to tell his family the truth. Overall, the series manages a careful balance of drama, including some steamy sex scenes, and educational content, to help viewers understand how hard it is for these men to fight for community acceptance. Furthermore, there are great humorous moments, such as when all the men and women who Boo has slept with flash before his eyes, to prevent the show from seeming didactic. All these characters who are keeping it on the "down low" have something to tell us about tolerance, as well as charm and wit. --Trinie Dalton
The DL Chronicles: The Complete First Season Reviews:
Happy Customer 
2009-09-16 - I was very happy with this purchase. I received it earlier that I suspected in good condition.
WHY??????????????????
2009-07-30 - Why do all ads for this refer to it as "The Complete First Season"?
First season??? Hell, its the ONLY damn season! Makes no damn
sense, either. Unlike some of the previous reviewers who apparently
sought out the show looking for a life changing experience, I merely
was looking to be entertained....and I was. It was great to just
see gay MOC interacting with each other period, since you are more
likely to see the Loch Ness Monster on a reality date with Bigfoot,
on TV first. However, that, sadly is also why there are only four
episodes of The DL C, while series such as Queer as Folk have gone for
many full-fledged (not some paltry 4 episodes) seasons. I assume
MOC into each other, and not pursuing White men is a no no. I guess
they don't even want the mere thought that MOC can actually p-r-e-f-e-r
each other, to even enter the public consciousness. Trust me, if there
were an abundance of White men being chased on The DL C, there would
be 5 times as many episodes produced by now. Same reasoning applies
to Noah's Arc. If Noah and crew had been all hugged up on White guys,
it would still be on the air too.
The Complete First Season.....indeed. Here is a clue:
In order to properly quantify as a "First" season.....there needs to be
subsequent seasons to follow, or at l-e-a-s-t a second damn season.
It's no Noah's ARC! 
2009-05-25 - I think unsuspecting people should be aware that this series is NO Noah's ARC. I'm not talking about the stories. I was very aware of what this series was about before I saw it. I read all the reviews. And like Noah's ARC, I was expecting a bunch of unknown actors and low budget production. However, I LOVED Noah's ARC. A beautiful series that was truly ended way too soon. No so much this series. There should never be a season 2.
I think Noah's ARC writing and direction made it a better series to watch and enjoy. How do I describe the DL Chronicles? In one word...AWFUL. And predictable. (I guess that was two words.) And on top of the poor stories (and really bad acting) we were constantly treated to gratuitous nude scenes. I'm not opposed to nude scenes, but there was no point to these. In one scene there was full frontal nudity. What?!
Plus the show had a lot of plot holes, which really irritated me. For example, in the story of Robert, can anyone tell me what the timeframe was? He met the guy in the store, then online, then at his apartment and then on a few dates. Next thing I knew... they were professing love for each other. I couldn't tell if this romance happened in a week or a year. I kept thinking to myself that if the executive producers/ writers/ directors (who appeared to be the same people, which probably led to most of the problems) had eliminated all the nude scenes, maybe we could have been treated to more plot that actually filled in some of the holes.
Either way, I don't think that this would have improved the stories, much. I understand that this series was pretty popular among the young, gay college crowd. However, straight women like my friends and myself found it "unwatchable." View at your own risk.
DL Chronicles
2009-05-03 - This DVD arrived quickly and in perfect condition. It was very entertaining to watch as well.
Excellent DL Video and High Quality Segments
2009-04-12 - I was absolutely amazed with the video and production quality of this 4 segment video compilation. It was very sexy, sensual, and the imagery was wonderful. I would have jumped through the television screen if the technology was available. This is perfect for friends to watch together because it will definitely stimulate dialogue, amongst other things.
