"The Sensei": The Next, Next Karate Kid?

Move over, Ralph Macchio and Hilary Swank: in the new movie The Sensei, there's a new put-upon teen about to put the beat down on some bullies. According to the press materials:

"THE SENSEI takes place in a small, conservative town during the rise of HIV and the AIDS panic it stirred in communities in the 1980's and early 90's. Set in 1985, in an area not too far from Laramie, Wyoming, young McClain is a gay teen that is constantly harassed and ostracized in his provincial town."

Michael O'Laskey, who's best known for playing one of the brothers in the 3 Ninjas series of kids films, stars as McClain, who is harassed and bullied because of his sexuality (one of the bullies is played by Mark Mcgraw, brother of country singer Tim Mcgraw). After he's nearly killed in a bashing, his mother enlists the help of her own Mr. Miyogi, a character named Karen, played by the film's director, Diana Lee Inosanto (who's also a world-renowned stuntwoman).

The movie makes its world premiere at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival on May 4th. You can learn more about it at the film's website, and you can see the trailer over here. It looks great ... the only thing missing is a Peter Cetera ballad.