I would start by going to www.newegg.com and check out the Klipsch Icon WF-35's. They're a $1500 per pair speaker system that is marked down to $349 per speaker. Buy a WC-24 center to match in either the reddish colored speaker, or the espresso which is brownish. They're REALLY nice speakers that will reproduce just about anything well even with a low wattage receiver. As for receivers, I'd start with Pioneer, Onkyo, Yamaha, and a few others but those are my main 3 and in that order. I'm in the market for a new pioneer receiver myself and I'm looking at the VSX-1121-K for its connectivity and other options. You can get it for the $500 range. After that check out www.lavasubs.com and look at a 12" subwoofer. If you want to drop money on a REALLY nice sub, check out HSU subs or SVS subs. Those latter two are beautiful subs that do amazing. Lava is a bit more budget but its one of the best bang for the bucks you can buy for a quality sub at the moment. If you want a full 5.1 system, your rear 2 are your call, but the Icon W bookshelves will match and are a great deal at newegg.com as well. Lastly, go to www.monoprice.com and check out the banana plugs and 14ga or better speaker wire. I have used all of the above gear and if you want an amazing home theater that'll knock your socks off for the $1500 range, that will be a setup that you can use for the next 10+ years or so. Your only bottle neck in the future would be the receiver depending on how connections go in the next decade or so. My reciver is almost 12 years old and people still say how good my system sounds when they come over for a movie because I bought one of the best at the time.
You can get so deep in audio as well as any hobby, but the things I listed above would go
$700 front mains (Klipsch Icon WF-35's)
$229 for center (matching your mains and this is IMPORTANT)
$399 shipped for sub (12" Lava sub shipped)
$499 for receiver (Pioneer I quoted above)
$199 rear WB-14 speakers (Also Klipsch)
so $1800 shipped for everything. That will literally be a theater quality setup that if you have a blu-ray player and a few HDMI cables with a decent TV, you'll never have to leave for a movie again. I'm always blown away at the quality and I have just about that exact setup with a different receiver and a dual sub setup. My rears are 5.25" 2 way carbon fiber bookshelf speakers that don't match the front but thats less important.
The main thing not to skimp on are your main front 3 speakers, and your sub. Your rear surrounds and receiver you can get away with some cheaper gear but DON'T skimp on the things I mentioned above as thats where most of your sound will come from.