I'm experiencing random total system freezes when using VLC 0.9.8 (and also the 1.0.0 beta).
The freezes only happen when using VLC.
I can't find anything in the logs in Console so I can't give you more info.
It manifests itself when playing a movie fullscreen on a second screen (TV).
Suddenly the image stops, as does the systems' clock in the menu bar.
Audio, however, keeps running. (never tested for how long, but a significant time)
Only solution is to manually restart the Mac.
No system or VLC notifications appear.