NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTIES

The 14 best ways to party on New Year's Eve in Houston

Ring in 2021 with these hot Houston happenings.

Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel

Many Houstonians are looking forward to celebrating New Year's Eve in style. We also know there are those cautious souls who would much prefer to stay at home — because, you know, we're still in the middle of a pandemic.

This year, we decided to round up a baker's dozen of NYE events — some of them will be virtual, some of them will be out in the open.

Aerosol Warfare
Catch an online event where artists and creative types can get together and, you know, get creative. They can talk, show, perform, demo, cook, announce, tell a story, suggest a soundtrack, and do whatever before the clock strikes 12. 8:30 pm.

Azura Bar & Lounge
The lounge offers up a large room with amazing music, club lighting and upscale sections for its party. They will also have celebrity DJs, refreshing cocktails, frozen drinks, delicious food, and a midnight champagne toast. 8 pm.

Bar 2200
This spot will host a get-together that will be free with an RSVP. With this one, you got two levels of fun — each level with its own DJ — and the obligatory champagne toast at midnight. You can't get more NYE than that. 8 pm.

The Energy Corridor of Houston Orchestra
ECHO for short has recorded a program of music from the '60s, '70s, and '80s as a goodwill offering to the community in this pandemic time. There will also be a countdown to midnight that will be right on time if viewers begin watching at 10:30 pm.

Four Seasons
The iconic downtown will toast the New Year, with several offerings, including an elegant, four-course prix fixe dinner. Or, reserve a table at Bayou & Bottle for $75 to party all night with choice bourbon. Or, book a room and enjoy 10 percent off your Room Rate, a bottle of champagne, and a New Year’s celebration kit.

The Grand Tuscany Hotel
Get down with a Bollywood-themed shindig. Promoted by Sunil T and the Crazy Masala Crew of local Bollywood station 98.7 FM, this party will have DJ NISH spinning grooves while guests get in on the food stations and the midnight champagne toast. 8 pm.

The Grove (This event has been canceled as of December 29)
Discovery Green's most happening hot spot will host a glitzy and ritzy bash. It will include all-inclusive bars throughout the property, passed hors d’oeuvres and premium food stations, as well as DJs, live music, party favors and anything you can think of to celebrate in style. Dress to impress at this swanky soiree. 9 pm.

Live Oak Lounge & Grill
Celebrate from sun-up to sundown with "The Midnight Wish NYE," its daytime/nighttime party. Come enjoy food and drink specials all day while listening to DJs doing their thing. No cover with RSVP until 8 pm. 4 pm.

Lumen Lounge
The Upper Kirby club will be the start-off point for "All the Glitters 6," the sixth annual, end-of-the-year block party. We're talking a buffet, full wine bar, complimentary party favors, hookahs, a tented pavilion, 6 DJs, stilt walkers, etc. 8 pm.

Market Street
The Woodlands venue feature a concert with music from The Rick Marcel Band. All entertainment will be featured outdoors in Central Park. Guests are invited to enjoy the music from one of the marked, social-distance circles. 2 pm.

Numbers
The Montrose mainstay will go virtual with its spectacular, available on that gamer-friendly, live-streaming platform Twitch. Don't worry — there will still be music, prizes, and a balloon drop as the long-running club says good riddance to this gawdawful year. 9 pm.

Simple Space HTX
Look for a very lavish soiree where the tickets vary from $35 to $1,100. Mariam Echo will provide live music, while a rotating lineup of DJs will come in with hip-hop, R & B, reggae, soca, etc. 8 pm.

The Westin at the Woodlands
This hotel is offering not only a party above the Woodlands Waterway, but a whole getaway. Say goodbye to this year with live music, champagne at midnight, a room at the Westin and a New Year’s Day brunch for two people. 9 pm.

The Woodlands Resort
Yet another Woodlands inn will host a celebration for families. The spot will have a fun, full day of crafts, karaoke, games and other festivities at the heated Forest Oasis waterpark. There will also be a sparkling cider toast and a beach-ball drop from the waterslide tower at 5:30 pm. 10 am.

holidays

Movie Review

Twin sisters set out for revenge in Tarantino-esque film 'Is God Is'

Photo by Patti Perret

Kara Young and Mallori Johnson in Is God Is.

The revenge story is one of the most enduring in all of cinema as it can be adapted to multiple different genres. It most naturally fits in the action/thriller genre, but comedies, dramas, Westerns, and more have made good use of characters seeking revenge. The new film Is God Is demonstrates that malleability by detailing an intensely personal story that turns into something bigger.

Twins Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) have lived a difficult life, going in and out of foster care and forced to endure stares and taunts because each bears burn scars from a childhood attack. Racine, whose scars are “only” on her left arm, has developed into the protector of Anaia, who suffered burns over much of her face.

An unexpected call from their mother, Ruby (Vivica A. Fox), who was burned almost beyond recognition in the attack, gives them a purpose: Seeking revenge on the man who ruined their lives. Setting out in a barely working car and with only a small amount of direction, the sisters attempt to fulfill the mission without losing their souls.

Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Aleasha Harris, the film may remind some viewers of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, and not just because Fox has small roles in both films. Harris has a knack for dialogue, especially between the twins, that ably gets across the story exposition and entertains at the same time. There are many instances where she has the sisters hold silent conversations told on screen via subtitles to convey twin-speak, a method that deepens their connection and draws the viewer in.

Harris also has her characters engage in the type of shocking violence that Tarantino has used to great effect. The difference here, though, is that even though the story is heightened to a certain degree, the egregious nature of the crime perpetrated upon the girls and their mother makes the whole thing feel bracingly real. This revenge plot is not meant to merely entertain; it’s designed to put the audience in Racine and Anaia’s shoes and fully embrace the call for justice.

There are a few times when the lack of experience by Harris shows up, especially in the climactic sequence where the stunt work could have used some more precision. But overall, it’s a self-assured filmmaking debut for the playwright-turned-director, who’s adapted her own play with a richness and depth that is not often found from someone stepping behind the camera for the first time.

Young and Johnson don’t especially look alike, but they embody the essence of twin sisters, and it’s their chemistry together that makes the story as impactful as it is. They’re joined by other strong female performances by Fox, Erika Alexander, and Janelle Monáe, each of whom brings a different vibe. And anyone who loves This is Us or Paradise should prepare themselves for a completely different kind of role for Sterling K. Brown.

Is God Is uses a variety of inspirations for its storytelling, but in the end it becomes its own thing. The filmmaking world can always stand to have another strong Black voice, and Harris has made an auspicious debut, one that should have cinephiles wondering what she’ll do next.

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Is God Is opens in theaters on May 15.

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