You are right, Windows Movie Maker should be avoided unless you are handy enough edit so minimally it masks evidence of having used WMM in the first place.
I haven't used a broad range of movie editors for a long time.
I religiously stick to iMovie 6 HD, an gem of Apple's past that was way ahead of its time. It was given away free for a while but now its really hard to find unless torrented (Apple wanted it removed to promote a newer version that was and still is stuff). I'd even go as far as to encourage you to borrow a Mac or buy a slow retro G3 for the lulz and patiently work on it.
I've been using iMovie 6 HD since 2006 and people who watch some of my better videos are always impressed by how far I can stretch its capability.
Its not a Windows product though. I dunno what to suggest there that isn't horribly over complicated or costs the earth.
