In Clint Eastwood’s “Jersey Boys” (2014), we learn there were only three ways for young Italian American men to escape Jersey in 1951: join the Army, join the mob, or get famous. “Jersey Boys” is the movie version of the Broadway musical about the life and times of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: four juvenile semi-delinquents who made it out of Belleville, New Jersey, on the third option.
Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘Jersey Boys’: The Life of Frankie Valli, and Meeting Clint Eastwood in Person

Mark Jackson
Film Critic
|Updated:
Mark Jackson is the senior film critic for The Epoch Times and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. Mark earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Williams College, followed by classical theater conservatory training, and has 20 years' experience as a New York professional actor. He narrated The Epoch Times audiobook "How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World," available on iTunes, Audible, and YouTube. Mark is featured in the book "How to Be a Film Critic in Five Easy Lessons" by Christopher K. Brooks. In addition to films, he enjoys Harley-Davidsons, rock-climbing, qigong, martial arts, and human rights activism.
Author’s Selected Articles



