Tell your wife I approve. 
“If you’re so self-absorbed that you don’t understand how your talking bothers other people, then you fucking ARE five years old.”
Tell her if I’d been sitting behind you, I would have tasered her in the back of the neck.
Side question:
Is it okay to talk during the previews at the movies? My friends and I have had no problems making verbal commentary during the previews to eachother “That’ll suck, I hate her movies, seen that before, that looks good” etc.
We clam up right away when the feature starts but I always wondered if people get pissed cause we talked during the previews.
Talk your head off. I mean, it’s previews. And even the few times I was really into the previews - LOTR previews, for example - I wouldn’t have cared.
When you come right down to it they are just commercials. I cannot imagine why any one would be upset by talking quietly during the previews. I know I do this to some degree.
Jim
I saw the Departed twice last weekend, and both times I went there were talkers.
At this movie theater, an announcement comes on that goes, “Now that VCRs and DVDs have moved films into the living room we remind our patrons that talking during the movie is not allowed, etc etc etc. We also remind our patrons to turn off all cell phones and beepers during the movie.”.
For some reason, it didn’t run during the first showing. 3 separate cell phones went off, and there were two talkers nearby. But, they were far enough away and amongst other so that it wasn’t my job.
During the second showing, a couple came in after the movie started, and sat down a row in front of me, 5 seats to my right. And immediately started talking. Well, they talked, and they got “ahems” and head turns from the people in front of them. Apparently this meant nothing to them. Eventually, I leaned over and said, “Please, sir. PLEASE.”
He goes, “oh sorry” and remarkably, shut up for the rest of the movie.
Is it possible that he DOESN’T think it’s distracting but once it was pointed out to him vocally, he got it?
As annoying was the woman to my left, who 5-10 times during the movie opened her cell phone to read a text, or send a text, or check the time, or WHAT THE FUCK EVER. . .generating a bright blue spot right in the corner of my eye, and a large blue glow over her and the people on either side of her.
“what r U doing?”
“movi3”
“cool”
“lata”
If you’re not grown up enough to sit through a 2.5 hour movie without your cellphonia nervosa kicking in, STAY THE FUCK HOME AND WAIT FOR THE DVD.
Oh, to the OP. She couldn’t have been more wrong. And you couldn’t have been more right.
Personally, I think there should be a large 10-foot spinner wheel behind the concession stands where theatre-talkers are strapped to and spun. For $5, you should be able to throw your choice of knives or throwing stars at them as they spin.
Theatres are for the entertainment of everyone, after all, and there needs to be something to do while waiting in line for popcorn. 
If someone is making enough noise to cause annoyance to you in a theater, then it is never rude to shush them. Though since saying shush makes a noise that might annoy others it id probably better to garrote the talker silently with a headphone wire or a silk scarf.
When come back bring sobriety
I’m glad it wasn’t just me who felt that way!
Jumping in late here…
You were totally on the mark telling your friend what you did in the line. Is she took issue with how you shushed her, screw that, if she would have kept quiet in the first place, you wouldn’t have to do that. If, as it was described, your shushing was discreet and not noticed by a lot of other people, then so what? She drew more attention to herself in the line than you did in the theater.
But, I agree with the people that wonder why you’d go with her in the first place, knowing this is what she does. I have several friends I’ll never go to movies or plays with because they do this. Nice people, good friends but they don’t know when to shut the hell up.
I think that Harmonious Discord was tending towards the latter today.
That is true. Note that the part of the incident that pissed me off the most was the way she very loudly and publicly told me off when I was in line after the movie. If she had waited to express her anger once we were back in the car or walking out of the theater it would have been ten times better.
That said, I honestly don’t think I drew attention to my shushing her during the movie. It’s not like I turned bodily around in my seat and yelled at her to shut up; I just shot some dirty looks, used quieting hand motions, and very softly mouthed “shhh!” The only person in the theater who may have noticed was the guy directly behind us. Maybe I could have done what Stratocaster suggested, though I wanted to talk as little as possible myself, and I suspect her reaction would have been the same anyways. This is not a friend who takes criticisms well, though God knows she dishes them out often enough.*
As for why I continue to go to the movies with this friend, well, all I can say is that hope springs eternal! Though last night’s incident may have been the breaking point, at least for our movie-going habits.
*And I now officially really, really hope she’s not a member of the SDMB!
I have no problem with talking during the previews. Once those final house lights go down and the title credits begin to roll – that’s everyone’s cue to shut up.
I’ve heard some cinephiles refer to this as “the firefly effect.”
Somebody flips their phone to check the time. Small glowing blue square appears in the darkness.
Another somebody, elsewhere in the theater, sees this, thinks, I wonder what time it is, and flips their phone.
Now there are two small glowing blue squares, which gets everybody’s attention, and several somebodies think, I wonder what time it is. And so on, in a contagious cascade effect.
Result: zero to thirty glowing blue squares in ten seconds.
Ergo, the firefly effect.
My kingdom for a giant fucking can of Raid.
Your friend was obnoxious, you were not.
You shouldn’t go to movies with her anymore. You should go with me instead.
What is this about talking in the theater in the nude? I must be seeing the wrong movies!
This is the other thing, too. Do not air your freakin’ dirty laundry in public. The rest of us don’t want to hear your drama.
That alone would make me avoid her for a time at least. I don’t like people who make [unnecessary] scenes.
Actually, when I see a little blue square light up, it doesn’t make me wonder what time it is, it makes me think, “Shit! I think I forgot to turn my phone off!” Unfortunately, the only way I can turn it off is to open it up first. I do try to hide it, but I’m sure lots of people can still see it.
Don’t go to the movies with her again. She was disturbing the other patrons, you tried to get her to act in a more polite manner, she thought you were the rude one??? Your friend is a clueless bitch.