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

Over-the-top acting and incoherent plot drag down Her Private Hell

Photo courtesy of Neon

Sophie Thatcher in Her Private Hell.

Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn is not someone who plays nice with the general film world. His 2011 film Drive introduced him to American audiences in a big way, but that pulsating thriller was followed up with artier films like Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon that eschewed coherent plots in favor of moody, atmospheric pieces.

Winding Refn, who hasn’t made a feature film in 10 years, has gone fully down the rabbit hole with Her Private Hell. Taking place in a liminal space that kind of resembles Earth but also feels like someone’s dreams/nightmares, the film focuses on Elle (Sophie Thatcher), an actor currently starring in a sci-fi film. Staying at a hotel with newcomer Hunter (Kristine Froseth), the two bond over their shared passion and the legend of Elle’s father, Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott), who’s now married to Elle’s friend Dominique (Havana Rose Liu).

After spending a good amount of (mostly incomprehensible) time with that group, Refn introduces Private K (Charles Melton), who seems to be living in post-World War II Japan. He is looking for his daughter, who might have been taken by a mysterious figure known as “Leatherman,” and he will stop at nothing to find her, fighting whoever stands in his way.

It becomes clear almost right away that Winding Refn has no desire to engage in traditional storytelling in this film. The main characters wander through neon-drenched streets and buildings, which are often surrounded by a mist that is referred to on multiple occasions but never explained. Everyone speaks as if in a constant state of wonderment, and there are many moments where it’s unclear if events are actually happening, part of a movie-within-a-movie, or something else entirely.

Unlike his previous films, Winding Refn has taken the characters in this film completely out of the real world, with every scene taking place in a sparsely decorated room or street that is obviously a movie set. While there are moments where this decision really works, especially the striking first shot of a human-like figure mixed in with a cityscape and clouds, most of the time it only adds to the stilted nature of the film as a whole.

In fact, the entire movie has the feel of an avant-garde theater exercise. Every actor seems to be trying to outdo the others with awkward performances and out-sized reactions. Two very specific characters make appearances in both sides of the story for seemingly no reason other than to inject their weirdness into both spaces. The shocking violence that crops up on occasion would have more of an impact if it was related to anything intelligible.

Thatcher (Companion) and Liu (Tuner) are among the young stars who have had breakout moments in recent years, but neither of them is served well by this hot mess of a movie. They, along with Melton, still demonstrate the talent they possess, but the oddity of the film weighs them down. Scott makes an impression for all the wrong reasons, while Froseth is called upon to play a character who might as well not be there at all.

If there’s any kind of message that Winding Refn was trying to convey with Her Private Hell, it’s lost among the flashing lights, overload of pink, and jewel-like structures. Filmmakers who try to make art for art’s sake have a place in the world, but this film too often feels like people are making things up as they go, with no real goal in mind.

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Her Private Hell opens in theaters on July 24.

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