NYE Event Planner

The procrastinator's guide to the best New Year's Eve parties in Dallas-Fort Worth

Big D NYE is one of the big parties you'll still be able to attend if you've procrastinated on making New Year's Eve plans.

Big D NYE/Facebook

Many people love to spend New Year's Eve out on the town, but with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, actually planning to go to an event can slip by us.

Although many of the best parties have already sold out, there are still plenty of great options for ringing in the new year with your friends and hundreds — if not thousands — of strangers. Below are your best remaining options for welcoming 2015 in style.

Big D NYE and Sundance Square New Year Eve’s Celebration
The easiest parties to get into are the ones that don't cost a thing. Of course, you'll still want to try to get to the event sites — Victory Park in Dallas and Sundance Square in Fort Worth — as early as possible to get the best spot you can among the hordes.

Big D NYE claims to be the biggest New Year's celebration in the central time zone, and it features two stages with multiple bands and a DJ to keep the party hopping all night long. The Sundance Square celebration features former Voice contestants Luke Wade and Dawn and Hawkes, as well as the ability to buy champagne in the plaza.

New Year's Eve at W Dallas
If you don't want to be down in the fray but still want to get the feel of the huge crowd, going to the party at the W Dallas-Victory is the next best thing. Taking place in the Altitude lounge 33 floors up, you can dance all night long and get a bird's-eye view of the fireworks at midnight. This one is sold out online but claims to offer a limited number of tickets at the door. If you can't get in, you can still head to Victory Park next door.

NYE on Cloud Nine
While those in Times Square in New York City will watch a ball drop, you can celebrate the beginning of 2015 inside a ball. Cloud Nine Cafe, Five Sixty's private event space atop Reunion Tower, will host this party that will include food from Five Sixty's executive chef, all-inclusive cocktails, dancing and a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets are $200 apiece.

Masquerade NYE 2015
Winstons Supperclub is known for its outrageous parties throughout the year, so you can only imagine what's on the agenda for New Year's Eve. It's a masquerade-themed event featuring fire-breathers, girls in giant champagne bubbles and a huge chariot delivering oversized champagne bottles, among other things. Tickets start at $30 for singles and $50 for couples.

A Fashionable New Year's Eve
You wouldn't expect Fashion Industry Gallery to host anything but the most stylish party in town, would you? Don't try to come in jeans or sneakers to this event, or you might be told to hit the road. Starting at $80 for women and $100 for men, you get free drinks all night, free hors d'oeuvre 'til 11 pm and great music by DJ Humble.

106.1 KISS FM's NYE Bash
The Gaylord Texan is an opulent resort in Grapevine, and the Glass Cactus Nightclub hosts a party thrown by 106.1 KISS FM. It features entertainment by DJ Junior and live music from Party Machine. The $75 cost of admission only gets you one drink and one glass of champagne, plus party favors, so it is a bit on the pricey side, but it should still be a great time regardless.

Texas Theatre presents New Year's Noir
Texas Theatre has a ton planned for its celebration, including live music from Nervous Curtains, a human "ball drop" at midnight from silks aerialist Bethany Summersizzle, burlesque performances, music from DJs Trigger Mortis and Wild in the Streets, and Mikey Dino's singing the songs of Dean Martin. For only $25 or $45 for VIP, that's a heck of a deal.

Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights New Year's Eve Bash
Sure, you could listen to a DJ spin music at most parties, but there's nothing quite like a live band or three to really make you feel like dancing. Dallas' Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights once again headlines the NYE concert at the Granada Theater, with support from Nashville's Nikki Lane and Dallas' J. Charles & the Trainrobbers. Tickets are $20 a pop.

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Movie Review

Andrew Garfield leads peasant rebellion in medieval film The Uprising

Photo by Betina La Plante/Focus Features

Andrew Garfield in The Uprising.

Writer/director Paul Greengrass made his name with a cinéma vérité style of filmmaking that brought immediacy and depth to three Jason Bourne films, United 93, Captain Phillips, and more. In The Uprising, he uses those skills to tell the story of the so-called Peasants’ Revolt in 14th century England.

Greengrass wastes no time starting the main plot as Ploughman (Andrew Garfield) and his fellow villagers object to onerous taxes put on them by the country’s nobility, led by the young King Richard II (Woody Norman), to fund an ongoing war. Ploughman initiates a violent response over the tone-deaf — and unseemly — way the king’s guard go about their business, and the rebellion soon starts to spread across the countryside, with the citizens looking for a degree of autonomy.

The ever-expanding group makes their way toward London to try to make their case to the king himself. Meanwhile, the king’s top advisors, including Archbishop Sudbury (Stephen Dillane) and Treasurer Hales (Tom Hollander), try to usurp power from the inexperienced monarch even as the king’s mother (Katherine Waterston) tries to get him to be more assertive.

The history of the English monarchy is long and lurid, as Shakespeare detailed in multiple plays, including Richard II. Though the events in the film took place almost 650 years ago, it’s easy to see parallels between what the peasants were fighting for and modern-day politics. Greengrass’ storytelling intent is solid, and the righteous anger the citizens feel is initially relatable and palpable.

But the populism theme of the story soon gets bogged down in drudgery and minutiae that is difficult to understand, especially when the details are lost in the thick regional English accents. The leaders of the rebels — including John Ball (Jamie Bell), Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis), and Alyce (Thomasin McKenzie) — are shown doing a lot of planning, but the strong feelings they have about their quest don’t come across well, leaving the audience as passive observers.

When there is action, Greengrass and his team employ a frenetic style that is not great for comprehension. While the gist of what is happening and what side is winning is legible, individual moments go by so quickly so as to be nearly meaningless. Save for Ploughman, any connection that has been made with various characters proves futile, as Greengrass doesn’t seem to have any time for emotion. Scenes that should feel thrilling or heartbreaking instead come off as empty.

Garfield is a two-time Oscar nominee who has done great work across multiple genres. He’s fine in this role, but whether it’s the story, the filmmaking, or something else, he’s not as captivating as usual. The same goes for other strong actors like Bell, McKenzie, Dillane, Hollander, and Waterston, who each seem to be giving their all to their performances but are somehow muted in the process.

Done right, The Uprising could have been a rip-roaring account of people standing up against their oppressors. What Greengrass has made, though, is a film that can’t translate its medieval story for a modern audience and concentrates too much on unexciting elements and too little on thrilling ones.

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The Uprising is now playing in theaters.

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