VLC 3.0.17.3 hanging with Monterey 12.4

[Bruno6]

Hi-
I searched, and could not find this problem.
I just bought a iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021), running Monterey 12.4. I loaded VLC 3.0.17.3 Vetinari, and tried to play some of my films. Not a single file or format (.mp4, .avi, .mkv, etc) will play. I select Open file, try to play the film, I get the spinning beach ball, and eventually VLC hangs, and I have to force quit it. Not a single file works.
I am at my wit's end- I've always relied on VLC.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Bruno

[fkuehne]

Is VLC allowed to access your media? Did you try opening your files from a different storage location? Can you provide a log?