Show me "knee the 'nads ... ": "The Karate Kid"

Yeah, this classic safely falls into the category of movies I never tire of watching, mainly for three scenes/elements:

1. The character of John Kreese, evil sensei, who occupies minimal screen time but owns every bit of it.

2. The scene midway through when Daniel "gets it," and realizes he has been learning karate. Gets me every time, and I pretty much can't turn off this movie until that happens.

3. The climax at the karate tournament. Where to begin? The cheesy song (Which is now in your head, I bet. "You're the best ... around!") The lineup of Cobra Kais, including sadistic Dutch and Lamar from "Revenge of the Nerds." The "sweep the leg" line. And ... wait for it ... the timeless "Get him a body bag!" cry. Oh, it doesn't get any better than that.

But guess what? "The Karate Kid," worthwhile for those three things alone, really is a nice, solid movie throughout.

You know the story: New Jersey kid moves to El Lay, gets picked on, meets girl, learns karate from the handyman at his apartment complex, triumphs in the end. It's so simple, and yet nearly everything in the movie is pitch perfect.

Start with Ralph Macchio, who was, what, 34 when this came out? Yet he looks like a Jersey kid and is a convincing fish out of water with attitude. And the more I see the movie, the more I buy Elisabeth Shue going for Daniel-san. She's rich, yeah, but bored and still packing that baby fat, which makes her attainable (and still cute).

Everyone else is spot on: Billy Zabka as Johnny, the first of his trio of Aryan bad guy roles (along with "Just One of the Guys" and "Back to School"); Randee Heller as Daniel's mom, loving but clueless; and Martin Kove as Kreese, sadist extraordinaire.

But who got the Oscar nom? Yep, Pat Morita. It's hard to fathom now, but this was such a game-changer for Mr. Miyagi. Up to then, Morita was best known as Arnold, the diner owner in "Happy Days." Yet the funnyman landed this semi-serious role, in which the humor was far more subtle. And he simply clobbered it. Really ... watch "The Karate Kid" with fresh eyes and tell me Morita didn't put on the Capital-A Actor boots for this. He surely knew he wouldn't get a better chance as a meaty role, and man ... he's good.

Maybe I'm a bit biased because of when this came out and it's rock-solid place in pop culture. But I have even more appreciation for "The Karate Kid" during this latest viewing. Not enough to go start waxing floors and painting fences, mind you, but still ...