NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTIES

The 12 best ways to party on New Year's Eve in Houston

Look for a bubbly hotel party, David Bowie tributes, and tiki fun this New Year's Eve.

Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel

On the night of December 31, Houston will be swarming with New Year's Eve parties. Here's a rundown of festive gatherings, which include a bubbly hotel party, David Bowie tributes, and tiki fun.

Stay safe — and feel free to party hop and plan your night and your ride sharing.

Belvedere Uptown Park
Courvoisier will present this party, which will have a band on the heated patio and the world-famous DJ Lowdown heating up the upscale lounge. And don't forget about the midnight toast, complete with party favors. 9 pm.

Darwin's Pub
It seems this watering hole is throwing a "Beenies and Bikinis New Year's Eve Party," as people are advised to show up in their swimwear gear since this place will also have hot tubs to lounge in. There will also be $2 Tecate and margaritas and a champagne toast at midnight. 7 pm.

El Big Bad
This spot will be doing its fifth-annual NYE party as part of a neighborhood block party, taking place in downtown Houston’s entertainment district. Come by and have their Unicorn Margarita, made by combining fresh squeezed limes, lemons, agave nectar and 100 percent Blue Weber Tequila and then dropping in a split of Korbel champagne. 8 pm.

Etro Lounge
Ring in the New Year by taking it back all the way to the 1980s with this party. DJ Rice Cube will be spinning all the Reagan-era jams in a special, mega-mix style. If you wanna show up wearing leg warmers, Gloria Vanderbilt jeans, or that jacket Michael Jackson wore in the 'Beat It" video — well, that's up to you. 9 pm.

Five Central
Head over to River Oaks and celebrate New Year's Eve at this location, which has five different venues. The built-in sound system ensures you’ll hear the live DJs' mix of year-ending hits and bangers loud and clear. A full dinner buffet will be ready to serve, and the bar will be open. 8 pm.

Four Seasons Houston
The swanky hotel will host a bubbly party sponsored by Moet & Chandon. Guests are invited to gather in the lobby of "Houston's Living Room" for a complimentary midnight toast, live DJ, music, food and drink specials (including craft cocktails), and specially priced bottles of Moët Imperial Brut for $110. 8 pm.

House of Blues Houston
'Lectric Eye, Houston's premier, David Bowie tribute band, will get in on the NYE shenanigans with a night of glam-rock music. These cats will be performing everything by the British legend, from his Ziggy Stardust days to his Thin White Duke era, right up to when we get to a brand new year. 8 pm.

Lei Low Bar
This spot will be having a "Nectar of the Gods" NYE party, where it will also be paying tribute to beloved, Los Angeles tiki bar Tiki Ti. There will also be a special menu paying tribute to Ray Buhen, the original god of tropical drinks. There is no cover and no reservations, but aloha attire is definitely recommended. 8 pm.

Pour Behavior
This new, cleverly named Midtown venue will have savory complimentary bites from the scratch kitchen and cocktails specially concocted for the occasion. Right before the clock strikes midnight, join in an exciting, live-video wall countdown complete with a complimentary champagne toast, a huge balloon drop, and confetti cannons. 8 pm.

The Houstonian
For an elegant, classic New Year's Eve party, head to The Houstonian for dinner at the upscale restaurant, TRIBUTE. Here you'll find them serving up Pol Roger Brut Reserve Non-Vintage Champagne, a hotel favorite that was also served at the reception following the wedding of His Royal Highness Prince Harry of Wales to Ms. Meghan Markle last year. Dine on specialty items including roasted Maine lobster, grilled Wagyu New York strip, and tri-layer vanilla vodka panna cotta.

The Westin at the Woodlands
The dress code is 1920s cocktail attire for this Roaring '20s extravaganza, complete with live music, small plates, a seafood bar, and a champagne toast at midnight. Start the night in Sorriso Italian Kitchen with bites and pairings, then head upstairs to Como Social Club for rooftop views of the Waterway and a cash bar to welcome in the New Year. 9 pm.

The Woodlands Resort
All you 007 fans might want to check this one out. Place your bets at blackjack, roulette, craps, and Texas Hold ‘Em for your chance to win prizes including a James Bond Blu Ray collection, a 3rd Generation Amazon Echo, a 43-inch 4K TV, Apple Air Pods, a Fire HD Tablet, a Yeti Cooler, and much more. 9 pm.

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Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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