Contributors
If you would like to become a contributor to Film Pulse, send us an e-mail at admin@filmpulse.net along with your prior writing experience and two writing samples. We’re always looking for new talent so drop us a line!
Adam Patterson | 
Editor in Chief, Critic
Host, Film Pulse Podcast, Saved by the ’90s
Member OFCS, Tomatometer-approved Critic
Adam Patterson has had an unhealthy obsession with film since early childhood, and he takes pride in his film snobbery. Growing up in a small town in Pennsylvania, where there was little more to do than watch movies, get drunk and impregnate girls, Patterson chose the former and dedicated entirely too much of his time to all things cinema.
His love for film and exposing people to new and interesting cinema caused him to create Film Pulse in 2012, and it has become his job, his hobby and his passion. Adam currently resides in New York City.
Kevin Rakestraw |
Editor, Critic
Co-host, Film Pulse Podcast
Kevin Rakestraw grew up in the same small town in Pennsylvania with Adam Patterson. Both of their unhealthy obsessions with cinema lead them to routinely skip school on Tuesdays to rent new releases. When Tuesdays weren’t enough, they decided it was best to skip school on other various days of the week to ensure a healthy diet of film viewing.
His unwillingness to say “no” to his friends and against his better judgement, Kevin agreed to help Adam with Film Pulse. Although he has been and probably always will be a terrible writer, Kevin continues to provide reviews for the site, even though this action continuously causes him to have nervous breakdowns.
Ryan Holes |
Co-host, Ryan Watches a Movie
Though Ryan may be confined to a wheelchair, it hasn’t stopped his tenacity or his insatiable lust to watch and review some of the worst films ever made. A true Renaissance man at heart, Ryan is forever continuing his quest to expose bad cinema for what it really is: a waste of time.
When Ryan isn’t recording the latest episode of “Ryan Watches a Movie,” his hobbies include being handicapped, long walks on the beach, falling out of his wheelchair and brooding for hours on end.
Mary Patterson
Senior Editor
Our fearless senior editor, Mary Patterson, holds a master’s in communications, a graduate certificate in editing and publishing and a bachelor’s in journalism, so she knows where to put all the commas.
Before becoming an entertainment reporter for a Gannett-owned newspaper, she wrote film news and reviews for The Spinnaker. Her freelance work includes The Florida Times-Union and Emerald Coast Magazine, to name a few. The Florida native is also an avid salsa dancer, so we give her all the dance movies to review (‘cuz we truly hate them). She currently resides in New York City.
Blake Crane |
Contributing Writer, Critic
Member OFCS, Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle, Tomatometer-approved Critic
Like most 10-year-olds growing up in a small Iowa town, Blake asked for an HBO subscription for his birthday in lieu of a bike or a sweet jean jacket. Best. Birthday. Ever. His love of cinema has only deepened in the years between Betamax and Blu-ray.
Blake studied film formally at the University of Iowa and received a bachelor’s in film studies and communications. He currently lives in Chicago and works as a freelance writer, web editor and professional film critic. The variety of multiplexes and art houses in the city satisfy any cinematic urge, but the flip side is suffering through baseball/basketball/football seasons with his beloved Cubs/Bulls/Bears. Blake’s personal website is BlakeCrane.com.
Ken Bakely |
Contributing Writer, Critic
Co-Host, Saved by the ’90s
Member OFCS
Ken has been writing film criticism since 2012. Previously having only a passing interest in movies, taking up the hobby and joining the cinephile community has allowed him to gain a continually greater appreciation the art form. It’s also introduced him to some pretty awesome people in the process. Most of his work can be seen on his personal blog, filmreviews12.com. He briefly wrote for the online magazine On This Day in Film, until the site’s unfortunate demise in 2016, the same year he joined Film Pulse.
Offline, Ken is a student living in the greater Philadelphia area, and his other interests include music, books, politics, history, and (very) occasionally sports. He’s also one of those weirdos who doesn’t mind public speaking.
Mynt Marsellus |
Contributing Writer, Critic
Film is a non-negotiable part of Mynt’s identity. From a hellish suburb in south Ontario, Mynt is one of those people that will cancel plans to stay home with a bag of popcorn and whatever form of cinema is available. Going away to school meant doing a bachelor’s degree in film studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, and Mynt is now pursuing a master’s degree in the same at the University of Toronto.
Mynt previously wrote for Popoptiq and campus publications and continues to be a terribly inconsistent personal blogger. Outside of film Mynt also writes about politics, faith and spirituality and is obsessed with board games and table top RPGs.
Chris Luciantonio |
Contributing Writer, Critic
Nerdish slacker turned DIY Film Scholar, Chris became unhealthily obsessed with film at the tender age of fourteen and it has all been seemingly downhill from there. Raised in Southern Ontario with big, unrealistic dreams of being a writer, Chris somehow found the motivation to get his bachelor’s in film studies and english at Wilfrid Laurier University. While serving his time there, he also got his taste of being published which pretty much cemented his career trajectory for better or worse (it’s also where he first meant Mynt whom he owes a lot to).
In addition to film nerding all over the place, Chris has also previously written about social media, politics and culture. He has a tendency to be overly kind to films of a weird, Japanese persuasion and hopes to turn that fondness into thesis work for his Master’s degree…whenever he finds the motivation to do that.
Raul de Leon
Contributing Writer, Critic
Raul de Leon, descendant of the great Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon (citation needed), is bound for a destination even greater than that of his legendary forefather. After watching Goodfellas (1990) for the first time in 2004, Raul couldn’t believe what he was missing out on. Without restraint, he embarked on a mission to watch every great film ever made. Along his expedition, Raul became fascinated with artistic filmmakers such as Tarkovsky, Lynch, and Bunuel. Their films gave him the courage to set sail on a new journey – Raul would go from observer to contributor, and positively influence the peoples’ views by the use of the almighty pen (or keyboard rather). His extensive travels thus far are currently charted on rauloncinema.com. Keep your spyglass in hand and watch closely, for the adventures of the great Raul have only just begun! Raul currently resides in Los Angeles with a cat named Loli.
Brooks Laurentino |
Contributing Writer, Critic
Brooks is a self-taught but classically-trained artist and draftsman whose passion is visual storytelling, in any form that might take. Whether that be illustrating comic books, painting fine art, designing concept art, composing storyboards, studying the language of cinema, or writing about his findings there, Brooks’ religion is the visual image and he strives for a life of creative expression within it. He studied Sequential Art at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, GA with his lifelong dream of one day drawing Spider-Man for Marvel Comics. He enjoys playing the guitar, wearing Air Jordan 1’s, acting snarky and sharing stories.
Amanda-Marie Howard
Contributing Writer, Critic
Amanda-Marie Howard–also, you can call her Amanda–is not sure where her passion for films began. When she was younger, she loved animated movies and dog movies and can recall carrying around the VHS tapes of Lion King and Homeward Bound everywhere she went. As she got older, her tastes changed. She credits her mom for her love of Turner Classic Movies, but without fail will rewatch Dazed and Confused or Ghost. Amanda loves all forms of media, whether it be music, television, writing. She currently lives on Long Island and has a Bachelors in English from Vassar College and an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from Stony Brook University. She has previously been published in TSR:The Southampton Review as well as in 34th Parallel Magazine.
