Ollie, like everyone is saying, sit down on the damn couch and watch it, now, and not "next year" as you put it. You have to feel for the characters from the very beginning, and having the movie on in the background isn't going to help with that. Plus you have to know what's going on.. Which again, if you're distracted, you won't.
Even I like Schindler's List, and I have a short attention span and get confused easily. It EASILY deserves a spot in the top ten films of all time, the ending scene being one of the saddest things like, ever.
That's like watching a movie like the Green Mile in the background and saying "you don't like it". You can't feel for the characters and realyl get into the film if you just plop it into the DVD player and ignore it.