"Like when someone gets shot and people say, 'Oh, that's got to hurt,"' he said. Of course it hurt. He got shot, he said.

"And when they answer their phone and talk," he added. "If they want to talk, they should walk out."

Joe Baker has another pet peeve.

"I hate when people cheer, clap and whistle," Mr. Baker said. "It's just annoying."

The Evans High School teens said they witness even worse behavior at teen-influenced movies, such as American Pie.

Crying babies, moviegoers who talk out loud and talk to the screen in an attempt to be a comedian disrupt the movie for everyone else.

What should frustrated moviegoers do?

Barry Belcher of Glascock County said he just tolerates it.

"I hate when people are laughing with each other and not the movie. Or when they talk on their cell phone," he said, nudging his friend Stacey Mills.

Ms. Mills turned her cell phone's ringer off during the movie Shallow Hal but answered when it vibrated.

Mr. Belcher and his friend Kimberly Pulliam said Ms. Mill's conversation annoyed them.

"I was whispering," Ms. Mills said.

The Etiquette Grrls, Honore McDonough Ervin and Lesley Carlin, say some tolerance in movie theaters is necessary. They write about dos and don'ts for moviegoers in their new book, Things You Need To Be Told. Their "handbook for polite behavior in a tacky, rude world" also addresses etiquette for roommates, dating, parties, the office and other areas.

"Snacking is allowed in movie theaters for instance, so one must tolerate the odd rustling of wrappers, etc.," Ms. Ervin said. "However, no one is allowed to make unnecessary noise while eating - the same rules that apply at the dinner table apply in the theater. No slurping, no throwing food of any sort."

And a wee bit of whispered conversation is tolerable, Ms. Carlin said.

When the disruptions go beyond tolerable, a movie patron should notify a theater employee.

A manager at Regal Cinemas Augusta Exchange 20 said the best thing to do is get an usher or a manager, who should be within 10 feet of the customer-service desk at all times.

Rick King, corporate spokesman for AMC Theaters, said movie patrons can ask the rowdy person to keep it down, but that person is not likely to oblige.

"If there's any doubt whatsoever that speaking to the offending person is going to help, get movie personnel and let them deal with it," he said.

THEATER TIPS

Etiquette Grrls Honore McDonough Ervin and Lesley Carlin - co-authors of the book Things You Need To Be Told - offer the following tips for good behavior at the movie theater:

With the exception of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, movies are not interactive. You should never attempt to shout things at, or otherwise communicate with, the actors on the screen. They are unable to hear you, and you will only irritate others in the audience.

You also must not attempt to converse with the other audience members during a movie. This rule applies whenever the houselights are lowered, including the previews.

You should not engage in food fights, either with other audience members, the projectionist or the movie screen, no matter what you think of the film. You also should shy away from really noisy foods.

You should not repeatedly get up, leave and come back - especially if you are not sitting in an aisle seat.

You should wait until the event is over before you leave. Also, if you are sitting inside a row you should not pressure the people on the aisle to leave if they prefer to watch the credits.

New movies in theaters today include:

Spy Game: an espionage drama starring Robert Redford as a CIA operative who has 24 hours to save the life of his protege, played by Brad Pitt.

Black Knight: Martin Lawrence plays a Medieval World amusements park employee who awakens to find himself in 14th-century England.

Out Cold: Snowboarders who love their Alaskan mountain paradise oppose a mogul (Lee Majors) who plans to turn it into a yuppie haven.

Reach Lisa M. Lohr at (706) 823-3332 or lisalohr@augustachronicle.com