Latinx Files: These are my 2025 resolutions

The start of a new year is always a perfect opportunity to set some goals and bring about personal change. Here are my three biggest resolutions for 2025.

Buy more physical media

In mid-November, I bought a Blu-ray player because I wanted to rebuild my movie collection — prior to moving to L.A. at the end of 2015, I got rid of more than 500 DVDs because hauling them across the country felt like too big of an ordeal.

It was one of the best purchases I made in the last year. Since then, I’ve added films like “La Bamba,” “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez,” “El Norte” and “¡Alambrista!” — movies of significant cultural value — to my collection.

I’ve also rediscovered the joy of walking into a video store and taking my time perusing its shelves. My go-to spot is Vidéothèque in Highland Park because they carry Cantinflas and lucha libre movies — two of my most recent rentals include the 1957 comedy “El Bolero de Raquel” and “Santo contra el doctor Muerte,” a fun 1973 spy thriller featuring Mexico’s greatest wrestler.

With the exception of the lucha libre film, every title mentioned is available for streaming right now. But that doesn’t mean that they’ll always be available.

“Over a decade into the streaming revolution, tech companies have retrained viewers on where to find and expect entertainment. They also taught them not to expect permanence,” wrote the AV Club’s Matt Schimkowitz in a pro-physical media manifesto published Dec. 26. “Everything is streaming now, and we don’t mean ‘everything is on streaming.’ If that were the case, people could have watched the 2002 movie ’28 Days Later’ digitally before … last week.”

Maybe it’s the aging millennial hipster in me, but I want to be able to watch the movies I love whenever I want. Owning a physical copy makes that possible, and in some cases, it’s the only way to watch them. A movie like “Mi Vida Loca” isn’t available for streaming despite being a cult classic. For the longest time, the same was true for “Blood In, Blood Out,” which became available on streaming for the first time last May.

In 2025, I plan to invest more in physical media. I don’t just mean movies; I’m talking about books, vinyl records and magazines (the best gift I got for Christmas was a pair of vintage issues from the now-defunct “Lucha Libre,” one of which is featured above).

Be more consistent.

2024 was a challenging year for me professionally and personally.

In late January, The Times announced mass layoffs. It was one of the largest staff reductions in the history of the institution and it deeply impacted De Los, the Latinx-focused vertical I help oversee. On April 1, my dad died after battling cancer for nearly two years. I feel like I’ve spent the last 12 months picking up shattered pieces in hopes of being able to put them back together.

I’ll admit that during that time, the quality of this newsletter suffered. There were stretches where I relied too much on guest writers, and I’ve been inconsistent as of late in getting it to your inbox in time. For that, I owe you an apology.

Which brings me to my next resolution: In 2025, I will get the Latinx Files back on track. In November, the newsletter will turn 5, and my hope and plan is to have this be the best year yet.

Thank you sincerely for your continued support.

(Also, I know running this on a Saturday is an inauspicious start, but let’s chalk it up to the remnant, end-of-year holiday fog.)

Call my mom more often.

This is pretty self-explanatory. Call your loved ones more often, because as Juan Gabriel sings, “el tiempo pasa y él nunca perdona.”

What I’ve been listening to: Leo Dan, que en paz descanse.

Latin music lost one of its icons on New Year’s Day. Leopoldo Dante Tévez, better known as Leo Dan, died at the age of 82 at his home in Miami.

Born in Argentina, Dan was part of South America’s “Nueva ola” ( “The New Wave”), a musical movement that kicked off in the 1960s and was characterized by the influence of rock ‘n’ roll. Dan broke through with his 1963 hit “Celia,” and produced hit after hit, including “Cómo te extraño, mi amor” (covered by rock en español legends Café Tacvba in 1996), “Mary es mi amor” and “Qué tiene la niña.”

In my opinion, Dan’s biggest contribution to the world is “Pideme la luna,” a 1992 track about promising to deliver the moon to the love of your life. The song has spawned so many covers by a slew of música Mexicana artists, including Carin León, La Original Banda El Limón de Salvador Lizárraga, Luis R Conriquez, Edgardo Nuñez, Los Carlos and Los Pedernales, just to name a few.

If you’re not familiar with his music, fear not! Both Spotify and Apple have pretty good introductory playlists that serve as a primer for Dan’s extensive catalog.

Que en paz descanse.

Stories we read this week that we think you should read

The 20 best Latino movies of 2024

For the second year in a row, De Los contributor Carlos Aguilar has compiled a list of the 20 best Latino movies of the year. The list includes selections from Latin America and the United States.

Our 30 favorite Latin music songs of 2024

De Los reporters Cerys Davies and Andrea Flores, along with contributing writer Ernesto Lechner, put together this list of 30 songs from 2024 that showcase the enviable state of grace that Latin music is experiencing. Even better: Most of these tracks are great for dancing, too.

Here are 11 Fernando Valenzuela murals to visit in L.A.: ‘He did so much for the Mexican community’

My colleague Chuck Schilken compiled this helpful guide of 11 murals across Los Angeles dedicated to Fernando Valenzuela. The Dodgers legend, known by his fans as “El Toro,” died Oct. 22, just three days before the start of the World Series. Included in the list is artist Robert Vargas’ three-panel, six-story mural in Boyle Heights.

Celebrating El Día de los Reyes? Here are 10 L.A. panaderias that sell rosca de reyes

It’s rosca season, and De Los reporter Cerys Davies has you covered with this list of 10 panaderias where you can pick up the traditional baked good ahead of Three Kings Day (or the Epiphany). Here’s hoping your slice doesn’t come with the plastic baby.

The 16 TV shows we’re excited for in 2025

Two shows featuring Latino talent make this very good roundup: the second seasons of “Andor” (starring Diego Luna) and “The Last of Us” (Pedro Pascal).

What Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias’ love of wrestling taught him about building his brand in comedy

Deputy arts and entertainment editor Nate Jackson spoke to comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias ahead of his upcoming Netflix special, “Legend of Fluffy,” out next Tuesday. One thing I learned from this interview is that his decision to wear Hawaiian shirts on stage was partially inspired by Robin Williams.

College-bound students fear ‘outing’ undocumented parents on FAFSA financial aid form

Staff writer Jaweed Kaleem reports on the growing fear students with undocumented parents feel over filling out the FAFSA — the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — because the application asks for parents’ Social Security numbers. While the Department of Education, which oversees the program, typically doesn’t share immigration status data with other government agencies, there’s growing concern that it will be used by the incoming Trump administration to target individuals for deportation.