Grade: B | At some point, all avant-garde performers, all challenging artists, all progressive creators or expansive visionaries reach a point at which they must choose to either continue pushing the boundaries of their art, or to withdraw and refocus their attention on honing certain experimentations a second time around.

As if they must choose to continue blazing new trails, or to return to one of their previous paths and lay down some asphalt for a pristine and easier-traveled second trip.

This is where Toronto's Do Make Say Think found itself prior to recording the ensemble's fifth LP. The psychedelic-influenced act could again spend time in barns and shacks recording seemingly-impromptu jam sessions, or it could hone its jazz-rock fusion into a seamless collection of spacey tunes that sounds less like a band just trying to be challengingly edgy and more like a band with a challenging edge.

The group chose the latter.

And the result is the group's most cohesive record yet. While it isn't free from the long-reaching soundscapes (hissing, feedback, background noises picked up from misplaced boom mics), nor are the eight tracks tightly packaged and radio ready, as all but one tops the four-minute mark and three surpass seven minutes, "You, You're a History in Rust" has made the turn toward perfecting the use of bizarre structures.

Maybe it's the influence of fellow Canadian rockers Broken Social Scene - that features two members of Do Make Say Think - or maybe just natural maturation. Either way, it's taken DMST almost a decade to settle into a polished and rounded version of its earlier self.

GRADE: B+ | The last time Billy Bob Thornton had a cinematic foray into space was in 1998. The movie? "Armageddon." Thankfully, "The Astronaut Farmer" doesn't make the same cheesy mistakes.

The story is simple - Charles Farmer's (Thornton) lifelong dream is to go into space with the help of the rocket he built from scratch in his barn. There are, however, a few problems with this plan: the bank is about to seize his house and ranch, no one but his family seems to believe he can do it and the government has deemed him a threat to national security and refuses to let him off the ground pending a full investigation. The majority of the film follows Farmer closely, exploring his struggle against adversity and doing what he believes is truly right. He remains undeterred by every obstacle that dares to stand in his way, and maintains the adage, "If we don't have our dreams, we have nothing."

Sound a bit too "family fun time?" It's understandable, as this can be classified as one of those feel-good movies-with-a-message that Disney likes to churn out. But if you only need one reason to go see this film, look no further than the infamous Thornton. If anyone else had been cast in the lead role, the film would be a campy disaster zone, guaranteed. But Thornton's unique, captivating presence allows the audience the chance to see some beautiful and believable character work. He is able to convince that this small-town, half-crazy, ex-astronaut-in-training rancher is for real, which is certainly no easy feat.

The plausibility of the storyline borders on non-existent, but it really doesn't matter. The overall message is something that everyone can appreciate, even, or perhaps especially, college students. Cynicism can abound all too easily (especially this time of year) when one is faced with tests, essays, payments and finally deciding on what you want to do with the rest of your life, but the blinding, heartfelt optimism of "The Astronaut Farmer" is definitely inspiring and can alleviate that sinking feeling, if only during the time spent sitting in the theater.