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.

nightlife drinks

Movie Review

28 Years Later revives zombie franchise for new generation

Photo by Miya Mizuno

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later.

The 2000s brought two of the best zombie movies ever made in 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. Both films, despite being made by different filmmakers, featured intense action with fast-moving zombies, harrowing sequences, and real emotional connections with their main characters. Now the original director and writer — Danny Boyle and Alex Garland — have returned with the first of a possible three sequels, 28 Years Later.

The rage virus from the first two films that turns humans into insatiable monsters has successfully been contained to the United Kingdom, and one group of survivors has managed to band together on a small island off the coast of England. We’re introduced to the group through Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), his wife, Isla (Jodie Comer), and his son, Spike (Alfie Williams).

Isla is sick with an unknown illness, while Jamie is set to take the 12-year-old Spike on his first trip to the mainland to hunt zombies. That trip not only gives Spike an education as to the different types of feral zombies that now populate England, but also a clue that other people have survived there. When he discovers that one of them may be a doctor, he makes plans to take his mother there in hopes of finding a cure for whatever ails her.

While the first two films were notable for their brisk pace that kept the potency of the stories high, Boyle and Garland almost go in the opposite direction for much of this film. The first 90 minutes are relatively slow, with only a couple of sequences that raise the blood pressure. The final half hour or so go a long way toward filling that void, so it’s clear that the filmmakers were biding their time for the story to come in the sequel. A bit more balance in this film would have served them well, though.

What they do show involves some weird, wild stuff that is objectively upsetting, even for fans of the genre. The zombies have evolved in strange ways, giving them a variety of body shapes and abilities to suit the environment in which they live. These storytelling choices may thrill some and have others scratching their heads. Another human character living on his own (played by Ralph Fiennes), appears to have gone the way of Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, with a revelation that is bone-chilling.

Boyle, who’s directed everything from Trainspotting to Slumdog Millionaire, doesn’t have a signature style, and he makes some choices in this film that test your patience. He occasionally employs an odd technique in which the film stutters, for a lack of better term. It’s a bit jarring, especially since it doesn’t seem to improve the storytelling. He also inserts scenes from older films involving medieval warfare that emulate the bow-and-arrow weaponry used by characters in this film, but the exact connection he’s trying to make is unclear.

The young Williams has a lot put on his shoulders in the film, and he proves to be up to the task of carrying the story. He isn’t precocious or annoying, instead reacting almost exactly like you’d expect a boy of his age to do when faced with extreme situations. Taylor-Johnson and Comer are good complements for him, drawing him out with their polar opposite characters. Fiennes makes a huge impression in the final act of the film, while Jack O’Connell makes a very brief appearance, teasing a bigger role to come.

It’s difficult to fully judge 28 Years Later because it’s designed to only give you part of the story; part 2, The Bone Temple, is due in 2026, while a third film will follow if the first two do well. This film has its moments and winds up on the positive side of the ledger, but it’s also a frustrating experience that could have used a more stand-alone story.

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28 Years Later is now playing in theaters.

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