I know this marks me as a terrible philistine, but I actually prefer watching movies on video. I do enjoy the excitement of the group dynamic you get in the theater, and I do like the big screen...but I also often find theater seating uncomfortable after the first hour or so, and having so many other people about can sometimes prove too distracting for me. It's much easier for me to focus on a film when I can watch it sprawled out in comfort on my own couch at home, without that special and distinctive background rustle of a large group of people all trying very hard not to make noise.

What can I do to make video-watching more like going to the theatre? Do I need to turn my basement into a home theatre? Because I really do want to see Dr. Strangelove.

In my experience, lighting makes an enormous difference. Turning off the lights in the room can make it easier to focus on a small screen. It might also help to serve as a signal to the other people in your household that you're seriously watching something -- not just, you know, having the boob tube on.

If distractions are a big problem at home, would it be possible for you to close the door to the room where the TV lives? Perhaps even ask not to be disturbed for the next ninety minutes?

And do see Dr. Strangelove! I love that film.