1. Thor at the Bus Stop (2009) The first feature from brothers Jerry and Mike Thompson is a low-key delight, highlighting their talents at creating quirky characters and putting them in funny, unexpected situations.
2. Liars, Fires and Bears (2012) Megli Micek and Lundon Boyd are affecting as outsiders (a hard-scrabble foster kid, and an aimless adult) who bond while on the run in this engaging comedy-drama.
3. Behind the Candelabra (2013) Steven Soderbergh’s biopic about Liberace (Michael Douglas) focuses on his tortured relationship with Scott Thorson (Matt Damon), revealing complex personal dynamics.
4. The Trust (2016) Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood star as corrupt Vegas cops attempting a heist in this offbeat thriller, featuring one of Cage’s most endearingly oddball performances and an often striking visual style.
5. Electrick Children (2012) Writer-director Rebecca Thomas showcases Downtown and the suburbs in a magical-realist story about a teen who flees to Vegas from her fundamentalist religious community.