*drools incoherently*
Goddamned cool.
While I'm much more a novice to film editing than riverrun, the twelve hours per short I've spent over the past year and a half hunched over an iMac, peering at iMovie's basic-of-basics interface on the tiny monitor, made the first time I used Final Cut Pro (on a G4 no less!) orgasm-worthy. We're talking multiple, mind-blowing orgasms here. The hell with George Lucas, this program was making me into the next Wachowski Brothers.
FireWire. Final Cut Pro. The G4. Even FCP's poor cousin, iMovie 2. Can Macintosh do no wrong?
Can Apple Do No Wrong?
Let me second riverrun's suggestion. If you have any interest in film at all, this program is what you want, nay, need. All you need is a decent FireWire-compatible digital camera and some imagination to go along with it. And a G4. But everybody needs a G4.
Essentially, Final Cut Pro is a whole suite of editing programs rolled into one super-shiny package that just reeks of awesomeness. First and foremost, there's the Import/Export utility, which is, obviously for maintaining a healthy, communication-filled relationship with your FireWire (the only true Plug and Play) compatible digital camera. Then there's the main video editing program. Cutting, juggling, everything. Special effects enough to keep a Star Wars junkie happy, and a manual big enough to kill even the gigantic Yukon mosquitoes with. Lastly, but just as importantly, there's the sound editing part. While it doesn't have all the power of a standalone, professional sound editing program, it more than fufills the needs of Final Cut Pro. Also there's an additional track for any music you want to import off CD or any other source.
See why I love it?