We Interrupt This Fest Coverage to Bring You Robert Downey Jr. and DJ Jon Favreau in Austin

You were expecting some Cine Las Americas news this morning, right? I didn't make it to the one fest screening at Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar on Tuesday night. I was at another screen in the same theater for a special star-studded screening of Iron Man 2 complete with gifts, Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau.

I don't have pictures, in part because no cameras were allowed in the theater -- and yes, at least one sneaky type was escorted out for bringing in a cell phone despite multiple warnings not to do so Security was tight, and for good reason. This was the first public screening of Iron Man 2 apart from the film's red-carpet premiere.

The event was the hot-ticket item for movies in Austin tonight, which is saying something. Every screen at the Alamo on South Lamar was booked already, most for special events, so there was no chance of an overflow screen being used. We were all seated about an hour early but in this digital age, so few of us had watches that it felt surreal.

When the event finally began, we were told we would see a video intro to the film, which has been done at special screenings before. But some of us just knew that this wasn't going to be a simple sneak peek. The gal next to me, who has a crush on director Jon Favreau, thought I was pulling her leg when I said I was absolutely sure he'd show. Not that I was told anything, but he was here for the very first Fantastic Fest's opening-night film (Zathura), so why wouldn't he be here ... especially since the twitterpation about this event started with him tweeting about this special screening? The video was a snarky comedy bit with Favreau trying to wrangle Downey's snipes about geeks. I told my seatmate to keep an eye on the doors, and she was enthusiastically surprised to see Favreau walk in.

I was shocked to see that Robert Downey Jr. appeared too, in a checked suit very few people could pull off (which he did, and well).

In typical Tony Stark fashion, Downey was only here for about five minutes. Apparently he had to jet to a premiere in the U.K., but he took the stage for a few minutes before the movie started. Favreau stayed long enough to DJ the after-party at the Highball.  Favreau is my age, and you could tell from his musical selections. 

I bet you're asking yourself, why don't we have pictures from Favreau's fabulous DJ gig? Well, we were asked to continue the "no camera or cameraphone" rule at the after-party. And for the most part, people complied, with only a few exceptions. I could hunt down some of those pictures, but I'll respect the man. Besides, I'm sure some official pictures will be posted soon. And in the meantime, you can watch that great video intro to the film below.

Which brings me to Iron Man 2 itself. I am not a fangirl; I have not read a single comic, but I do enjoy a good comic-based film. Iron Man is a hard act to follow and there may be some disappointed people out there, but I have to say, I enjoyed Iron Man 2 immensely. It does what it intended to do, with a charismatic cast that I'd watch read telephone books. 

Favreau mentioned in the Q&A that the tone of the Iron Man franchise is deliberate, not just because of Robert Downey Jr.'s particular style, but because it's tonally different from the playful Spider-Man series and the darker Batman series. Without getting into every detail of the Q&A, it's clear a lot of thought went into the making of this sequel. 

I really could write more (and I should), but I'm tired. So without further ado, the embedded video below will show you the video intro from last night's Iron Man 2 event. And tonight, it's back to Cine Las Americas.

Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. at the Alamo Drafthouse from DG on Vimeo.