The Deer Hunter- Don't Watch a Three Hour Movie on a Laptop

I've seen many films on DVD and thought "I'd like this more if I'd seen it in the theater." After watching The Deer Hunter on my laptop, it occurs to me that there are worse ways to see a movie than the ideal home theater set up and that every downgrade in viewing set up deserves a downgrade in maximum viewing time. But first a few stray observations about the movie...

I think a kid at the wedding invented break dancing.

Rolling Rock- The official beer of PTSD

By the time, Micheal finds Nick he must have logically played that game dozens of times and in each game he has a 50% chance of losing. He has a 25% chance of surviving two games, a 12.5% chance of surviving three games, a 6.25% chance of surviving four games, a 3.125% chance of surviving five games, a 1.5625% chance of surviving six games, and so on. By the time he gets to ten games, he has less than a 0.1% chance of still being alive and yet as soon as Micheal gets there he shoots himself in the head. What are the odds?

Movie Theater- 5 hour maximum
Big screen, great sound. This is the ideal movie environment. You are there to watch an movie and nothing else (Ok, maybe something else, but then you aren't really watching the movie are you?) and the darkness keeps your eyes on the screen. The chairs in a modern theater are comfy, but not sleep-inducing. And the audience helps too, especially for a comedy. It's easier to laugh when some else thinks it's funny.

Home Theater (Commercial-free TV or streaming/DVD or Blu-Ray)- 6 hour maximum
It's easier to get distracted at home. There is always something else you could be doing. But if you've got a screen big enough for your room and a decent sound system, this is the second best you can do. So if it's a inferior viewing method, why the increase in maximum time? The pause button. It doesn't matter how good a movie is you have to pee sometime. I could have never made it through the director's cuts of the Lord of the Rings movies without the good ol' pause button. The only limit for this set up is your attention span.

DVR Recording or Limited Commercial Streaming- 3 hour maximum
It's the same home theater set up, but the awkward cuts that randomly interrupt the flow of the film even for a few seconds really degrade the viewing experience.

DVD/Blu-Ray on Laptop- 2 hour maximum
The screen is far too small to occupy the majority of your field of vision the way a movie screen or a large TV will. The sound is terrible. You must constantly move to stay comfortable, every time setting off an earthquake that the actors strangely ignore and revealing a strange floating triangle and a mysterious colored bar. Passing the two hour mark laptop viewing becomes intolerable.

Limited Commercial Streaming on a Laptop- 1 and one half hour maximum
I'm looking at you, Hulu. Combining the worst aspects of the last two set ups to make an even worse option.

TV with Commercials- 0 hour maximum
During commercial breaks, I have forgotten not just plot details, but the entire movie. It is far to easy to get distracted or fall asleep waiting for the film to come back. In the modern world, watching anything but live events on ad-supported TV can no longer be tolerated under any circumstance.