For better or worse, Oliver Stone's "W." is full of surprises -- some good, and some not-so-good.

For a $30 million production that just started filming in April in an effort to meet its October 17 release date (which falls less than 2 1/2 weeks before the real W's heir-apparent is voted into the White House), the results are pretty solid, polished and entertaining. And coming from a controversial filmmaker who's known for leaning to the left, it's a relatively balanced and sympathetic take on a politician whose flag is firmly planted to the right.