Ring In The New Year

Procrastinator's Guide to New Year's Eve parties: Rockin' places to celebrate in style

It's still not too late to plan your New Year's Eve celebration. From a black tie affair to a fireworks spectacular, below are 11 top soirees to ring in the New Year, including festive fetes at five new nightlife hot spots, five happening hotel gatherings and one mammoth party in a warehouse studio.

BAR BASHES

Grade A with a couple of B’s
Lively Washington Avenue hot spot Julep is tops in our books thanks to stellar drinks and tasty Southern bites. Come New Year's Eve, the cocktail bar presents a deal featuring two of our favorite libations: bourbon and bubbly. Play it by ear and grab a seat on the patio or at the bar, or reserve a table (seatings: 4-7 p.m., 7-10 p.m., 10 p.m.-2 a.m.; prices vary), which comes with a seafood tower (lobster, Dungeness crab, crab claws, shrimp, oysters), bottle of champagne and customized bourbon tasting.

Play that funky music
Let your hair down and groove to the sounds of vinyl spins (the in-house record collection features over 300 selections) at downtown’s The Nightingale Room. Drink up thanks to an expanded shot menu and price break on select bottles of champagne (half-off until 9 p.m.). Pause for reflection during a midnight balloon drop and champagne toast, then go back to the dance party. Reserve a table or walk-in. It’s free to enter.

Fancy attire and cheap drinks
Play dress up, and video games, at whimsical East downtown watering hole Neil's Bahr (9 p.m.; free to enter). Don your formal attire, nosh on bites from the grill and sip discounted champagne, draft beer and liquor. Dress the part, but don’t get too serious (you're surrounded by sci-fi flick murals and comic book racks, after all). Raise the roof, not your pinky.

Break out your Halloween costumes
Pull out your required gangster and flapper costumes as you rewind to 1925 at Revelry on Richmond’s speakeasy bash. VIP’s (7-9 p.m.; message to get on the list) will enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres and champagne, plus nickel-priced cocktails. A five-piece swing band hits the stage at 9 p.m. and the bubbly flows at midnight with a champagne toast. After 9 p.m., it's business as usual with a cash bar.

An old favorite with a new twist
Historic Montrose bar Zimm's has been reborn. The completely remodeled venue will host an open premium bar, DJ, party favors, midnight toast and balloon drop this NYE ($75 per person). Feast at neighboring Pax Americana restaurant beforehand and receive a price break on your party ticket ($50 per person).

HOTEL PARTIES

Helium heaven
Now in its 37th year, the Hyatt Regency Houston will kick off 2015 with a 50,000-balloon cascade from the hotel’s 33-story atrium. Break out your dancing shoes for music via two bands and a DJ (7 p.m.-1 a.m.). Tickets start at $99 per person with an overnight hotel option starting at $299.

Light up the night
Fireworks are delightful, especially with a cocktail in hand and a bird’s eye view from Hotel Sorella’s swank Monnalisa Bar ($60 per person). CityCentre’s pyrotechnics extravaganza will light up the sky at midnight. In the interim, hang out inside the contemporary space, complete with a heavenly starlit ceiling and central fireplace, as you listen to live music. Make it an all nighter and take advantage of the hotel's overnight specials, starting at $369 per couple.

Hot in the city
You're in for a guaranteed good time at the racy and fun Hotel ZaZa. The posh Museum District hotel, with daring decor and a see-and-be-seen crowd, presents an evening of cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, dancing and midnight revelry ($75 per person). Room and party packages are available starting at $495.

Party it up with a chance to stay, free
The Black Swan at Omni Houston is your ticket to NYE paradise. The evening ($70 per person) includes: a champagne toast, balloon drop, party favors, hors d’oeuvres, two drink tickets, a roaming magician, photo booth, a live feed of ball drop in NYC and complimentary valet parking. Cross your fingers: Enter to win a complimentary stay at the hotel.

Celebrate like nightlife royalty
Live it up at the Royal Ball at Hotel Derek (tickets start at $125 per person). Aside from a countdown to midnight (with a champagne toast and party favors), the regal-themed fete promises live entertainment and a high-octane party atmosphere.

SOMETHING EXTRA

H-Town Countdown
Ring in the new year at this all-inclusive party at Silver Street Studio, which includes open bar, breakfast buffet, midnight champagne toast and entertainment by cover bands LC Rocks and Rat Ranch, along with tunes from DJ Tony Styles. Tickets range from $100 to $150, with a special $2,500 VIP party for 15 with lots of extras. The Hilton Americas-Houston hotel offers a special $119 rate for partygoers.

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Did we miss you favorite party place to celebrate New Year's Eve? If so, let us know in the comments section below.

The NYE bash at the Hyatt Regency Houston is in its 37th year.

New Year's Eve party, Hyatt Regency Houston, balloons

Photo by Bruce Senior

The NYE bash at the Hyatt Regency Houston is in its 37th year.

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Movie Review

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck square off in Netflix crime thriller The Rip

Photo by Claire Folger/Netflix

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in The Rip.

For as closely tied together as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are, it might come as a surprise how few times they’ve led a movie together. They’ve appeared alongside each other in Good Will Hunting, The Last Duel, and Air, but the only time they were on equal footing in a story was Kevin Smith’s Dogma. So the fact that they are the two true stars of the new Netflix movie The Rip makes it a rare opportunity for the longtime friends to square off against each other.

Damon and Affleck play Lt. Dane Dumars and Detective Sgt. J.D Byrne, respectively, the two highest ranking members of a Miami police department squad that specializes in drug and drug money raids. A tragedy to begin the film already has the team — which includes Detectives Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), and Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandina Moreno) — on edge, with the FBI and DEA breathing down their neck.

Going off a tip, Dumars gathers the team to raid a house in nearby Hialeah that is supposed to have a stash of a relatively small amount of money. But when they get to the house occupied only by Desiree Molina (Sasha Calle), they discover close to $20 million. The team, required by law to count the money on site, must not only fight the urge to skim a little off the top for themselves, but also worry about the Cartel and other agencies that might want a slice of the pie.

Written and directed by Joe Carnahan, the film is a surprisingly effective crime thriller made even better by its high-quality cast, which also includes Kyle Chandler as a DEA agent. The story is designed for the audience to not know who’s trustworthy until the last possible second, and the various twists and turns it takes are well done, with barely a hint of narrative cheating.

Taking place entirely at night, the mood is set right from the start, with the only surprise being that Carnahan didn’t add in rain for extra effect. He keeps things tense with a number of subtle elements, including having the house located in a seemingly deserted cul-de-sac. This allows for the characters to remain on high alert at all times, with anything out of the ordinary — an unexpected noise, a flashing light, etc. — adding to the stress of the situation.

The only element that could have used a bit more of a punch-up is the characterization. The story is set up to cast suspicion on almost everybody, making it tougher to understand exactly what type of person each of them is. As the two leads, more time is spent with Dumars and Byrne, leaving everyone else with slightly underwhelming arcs. It’s to the credit of the actors that everyone else below Damon and Affleck is still compelling.

Damon and Affleck play their sometimes friendly, sometimes adversarial roles well, showing an ease together that’s a result of their friendship and the acting skills they’ve honed over 30+ years. Taylor, an Oscar hopeful for One Battle After Another, and Oscar nominee/Emmy winner Yeun have a pedigree that elevates their supporting roles. Chandler, Moreno, and Calle each get just enough to demonstrate why they were cast in their respective roles.

Damon and Affleck have had their individual ups and downs throughout their careers, but when they choose to work together, the results are usually good-to-great, as they are in The Rip. It’s a different take on a crime thriller that features a story that will keep viewers guessing until the very end.

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The Rip is now streaming on Netflix.

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