Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes
Publications list

The Herald (Scotland)

The Herald (Scotland) is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Alison Rowat, Julie McDowall.

Prev Next
Rating Title | Year Author Quote
4/5
The Thursday Murder Club (2025) Alison Rowat Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter movies, has managed the same trick here of making everything just as you imagined it.
Posted Aug 29, 2025  Edit critic review
A Man Called Otto (2022) Alison Rowat Besides staying true to the tone of the Swedish original, Hanks keeps a lid on the schmaltz by giving Otto a convincingly bad temper.
Posted Jul 18, 2025  Edit critic review
The Trouble with Mr Doodle (2024) Alison Rowat This extraordinary film by directing trio Jaimie D’Cruz (Exit Through the Gift Shop), Ed Perkins and Alex Nott tells the disturbing story of what happened when obsession met opportunity and raced out of control.
Posted Jul 18, 2025  Edit critic review
Michael Sheen’s Secret Million Pound Giveaway (2025) Alison Rowat A tremendous guddle of a programme wrapped in the best of intentions and dotted with stats.
Posted Mar 20, 2025  Edit critic review
Hollywoodgate (2023) Alison Rowat How Nash’at managed to get himself and his film out is another story, one that presumably could not be told here for safety reasons. Still, an amazing piece of work and an example of true journalistic bravery.
Posted Nov 14, 2024  Edit critic review
Eternal You (2024) Alison Rowat To me it looked like a high-tech version of the psychics who preyed on grieving families after the First World War, with just as gruesome results.
Posted Nov 09, 2024  Edit critic review
A Storm Foretold: Roger Stone and Die (2023) Alison Rowat What Guldbrandsen’s enthralling film charts is how, in such times, idiots like Stone can be dangerous.
Posted Aug 09, 2024  Edit critic review
Scoop (2024) Alison Rowat Did we know any more after this 103-minute film? Meeja folk will snicker, and those who think Andrew is a pillock will be confirmed in their opinion. Otherwise, not a lot.
Posted Apr 08, 2024  Edit critic review
The Eternal Memory (2023) Alison Rowat Every flashback to their well-documented previous lives is a heartbreaker, and as time goes on the picture becomes bleaker still. But what shines through is love, and laughter. Lots and lots of laughter.
Posted Feb 27, 2024  Edit critic review
Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas (2023) Alison Rowat Waddingham looks like she has just stepped out of Hollywood’s golden age of musicals and sashayed her way into 2023.
Posted Dec 29, 2023  Edit critic review
The Pigeon Tunnel (2023) Alison Rowat It is a pleasure to listen to le Carre, speaking as he does in perfect sentences, and see him crack a smile every now and then. He is as sharp as one might imagine, and funny besides.
Posted Oct 28, 2023  Edit critic review
My Old School (2022) Alison Rowat Lee was interviewed but refused to be filmed for the documentary. Instead, in what turns out to be a blessing, Alan Cumming lip syncs his words as only Cumming can.
Posted Dec 20, 2022  Edit critic review
Citizen Ashe (2021) Alison Rowat You can never have enough Storyville documentaries, and this look at the life of Arthur Ashe proved to be just the ticket.
Posted Jul 08, 2022  Edit critic review
My Name Is Leon (2022) Alison Rowat The cast was outstanding -- Monica Dolan, Olivia Williams, Christopher Eccleston anyone? -- so I bought a ticket. I was glad in the end that I did.
Posted Jun 17, 2022  Edit critic review
Navalny (2022) Alison Rowat With talking heads ranging from investigative reporters and Navalny’s family, this was the inside story of a poisoning plot exposed and a chilling look into the moral abyss that is Putin.
Posted May 06, 2022  Edit critic review
Then Barbara Met Alan (2022) Alison Rowat The central performances were excellent (Ruth Madeley and Arthur Hughes), and the lead writer was Jack Thorne (National Treasure, This is England). Together they made for a raucous, eye-opening drama.
Posted Apr 01, 2022  Edit critic review
3/5
Together (2021) Alison Rowat It brilliantly captures the fear, claustrophobia, and borderline madness of the past year, with both McAvoy --even with a man bun -- and Horgan outstanding.
Posted Jun 21, 2021  Edit critic review
Killing Escobar (2021) Alison Rowat At first it is hard to get a handle on both McAleese and the film in general... The longer the piece goes on, however, more layers of the story are peeled back and a more complex and nuanced film emerges.
Posted May 17, 2021  Edit critic review
Ian Wright: Home Truths (2021) Alison Rowat Although a tough watch at times, Home Truths is ultimately a positive film showing how far society has come in dealing with domestic abuse.
Posted May 17, 2021  Edit critic review
4/5
Return to Dunblane with Lorraine Kelly (2021) Alison Rowat Kelly had clearly had done more than her job all those years ago and since; she had, in a small but important way, helped. With this film she did the community, herself, and her profession proud.
Posted Mar 13, 2021  Edit critic review
Whirlybird (2020) Alison Rowat It makes for a thrilling 90 minutes, even if the film does rush the ending and leaves several questions spinning through the air. Fellow news junkies queue here.
Posted Feb 19, 2021  Edit critic review
Katie Price: Harvey and Me (2021) Alison Rowat Lowe's film did not shy away from the difficulties in Harvey's life, or the struggle that lies ahead of him, but there was joy here and a lot of love.
Posted Feb 05, 2021  Edit critic review
Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President (2020) Alison Rowat The clips, particularly of concert footage, are terrific, the photographs are groovy, the politics of the times are examined seriously, and Carter has a lot of stories to tell.
Posted Jan 13, 2021  Edit critic review
Red Penguins (2019) Alison Rowat Gabe Polsky's film took an age to get going, which made it run far longer than the story merited. As for that story, there was too much of everything, from strippers on the ice at half-time to bears serving drinks.
Posted Dec 18, 2020  Edit critic review
Fight: The Jim Murray Story (2020) Alison Rowat As an investigation of boxing, Fight had its flaws. But as a portrait of a fighter, and a family, its compassion will stay long in the mind.
Posted Oct 29, 2020  Edit critic review
(undefined) Alison Rowat Like its subject, this retrospective was a touch hand-knitted and worthy at times.
Posted Oct 20, 2020  Edit critic review
3/5
Tenet (2020) Alison Rowat This is Nolan on typically spectacular form... All terrific, but then we come to the story. A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma is just the start of it.
Posted Aug 25, 2020  Edit critic review
(undefined) Alison Rowat The Trial Of Alex Salmond had to appear far and above the fray on which it was reporting. From where this viewer sat, it did not pass that test.
Posted Aug 21, 2020  Edit critic review
4/5
Everything: The Real Thing Story (2019) Alison Rowat All told it was a fascinating story, albeit one that could have easily been captured in an hour rather than 90 minutes (too many talking heads, too little editing).
Posted Aug 10, 2020  Edit critic review
4/5
Scandalous: The Untold Story of the National Enquirer (2019) Alison Rowat Terrific use of archive, a dream cast of talking heads, and a solid, clear narrative made Scandalous this week's must see documentary.
Posted Jun 29, 2020  Edit critic review
4/5
Run (2019) Alison Rowat Run is essentially a sombre story, and at first glance you fear it could be another doom-laden misery fest. But terrific performances, particularly from Stanley and Marli Sui... and some wonderful writing make it shine.
Posted Mar 23, 2020  Edit critic review
3/5
Radioactive (2019) Alison Rowat After seeing this, one not only has a greater sense of Curie the scientist and the woman, one admires her even more.
Posted Mar 23, 2020  Edit critic review
3/5
The Shadow of Violence (2019) Alison Rowat Inspired use of location and strong performances all round, from Jarvis and Algar especially, but the relentlessly bleak tone and sense of hopelessness make for a dispiriting watch.
Posted Mar 16, 2020  Edit critic review
3/5
Misbehaviour (2020) Alison Rowat Even if you are familiar with the story the women's sheer daring still takes the breath away. As does the scene when contestants are asked to turn en masse to show their backsides.
Posted Mar 16, 2020  Edit critic review
1/5
Color Out of Space (2019) Alison Rowat For Cage completists only.
Posted Mar 02, 2020  Edit critic review
4/5
Our Ladies (2019) Alison Rowat What Derry Girls and Our Ladies share is a big, beating generous heart and a genuine affection, make that love, for young women at the point in their lives when they are at their most brave.
Posted Mar 02, 2020  Edit critic review
4/5
Dark Waters (2019) Alison Rowat What raises the picture above a by-the-numbers legal procedural is Haynes's styling and Ruffalo's performance.
Posted Mar 02, 2020  Edit critic review
3/5
Greed (2019) Alison Rowat [A] picture that wants to say a lot but is not sure exactly what.
Posted Feb 24, 2020  Edit critic review
2/5
Like a Boss (2020) Alison Rowat It's a measure of how little there is in the film that even at just 83 minutes it feels stretched.
Posted Feb 24, 2020  Edit critic review
3/5
EMMA. (2020) Alison Rowat A dandy enough choice for Valentine's week, but not a picture to fall head over heels for.
Posted Feb 18, 2020  Edit critic review
3/5
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018) Alison Rowat The Man Who... is fun for an hour, then messy, baffling and finally infuriating, but kudos to Gilliam for getting there eventually.
Posted Feb 03, 2020  Edit critic review
3/5
Richard Jewell (2019) Alison Rowat It is a strong story, but in telling it the picture leaves a sour taste.
Posted Feb 03, 2020  Edit critic review
3/5
The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) Alison Rowat I did warm to the picture eventually, though I felt like another Dickens character in wanting more: more observation, more laughs, more oomph, just more.
Posted Jan 27, 2020  Edit critic review
3/5
Bombshell (2019) Alison Rowat Out of the melee, the regal Theron and the always surprising Robbie emerge strongest. It is just a pity the movie does not bring them and Kidman together more.
Posted Jan 21, 2020  Edit critic review
5/5
Uncut Gems (2019) Alison Rowat This is a white-knuckle ride of a film that never lets up in pace and plot.
Posted Jan 13, 2020  Edit critic review
5/5
1917 (2019) Alison Rowat [T]he result is magnificent.
Posted Jan 13, 2020  Edit critic review
The Tiger Who Came to Tea (2019) Alison Rowat Kerr, having overseen the project, had ensured everything knitted together into the cosiest of Christmas jumpers. I'll wager we will be seeing the tea-taking tiger again.
Posted Dec 31, 2019  Edit critic review
4/5
Citizen K (2019) Alison Rowat The film is a touch long, but this is as much a history of modern Russia as it is a cautionary tale about Putin.
Posted Dec 30, 2019  Edit critic review
4/5
Little Women (2019) Alison Rowat Little Women is lovingly done and handsomely staged, but there is nothing here to frighten the horses. While that might disappoint some, Alcott, with her understanding of the need for jolly tales in troubled times, would surely have approved.
Posted Dec 30, 2019  Edit critic review
The Kingmaker (2019) Alison Rowat This is documentary as horror story, all the more powerful for its understated nature. Unmissable.
Posted Dec 16, 2019  Edit critic review
Prev Next