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He is a very talented young Spanish film director, with just a couple of films on his back, but specially impressive considering his age and that the genres of both, suspense and sci-fi, are not usually well handled in these lands, and not only because of low budgets. One of those films, "Abre los ojos" (Open your eyes) is a very clever and twisted sci-fi with drops of "Total Recall" and with a level of toying with the viewers' impressions similar to that of Fincher's "The Game". It is the one that is being re-made by Cameron Crowe as "Vanilla Sky", with Tom Cruise as the lead role and Penélope Cruz reprising the same role she did in the Spanish production. It might me a good movie, but I'd reccommend you to see the original first just in case.
"The Others" is his last directorial effort, and is also linked to Cruise, since he produced it and Nicole Kidman stars it. It looks like a very promising horror movie.
As for his music (sorry for taking so long to get here), he composes it with the help of a musician, since he himself hasn't any musical education. I think I have a short interview with both of them in which they say that Alejand kind of "hums" his ideas, which are transcribed and fleshed out by his partner. I don't own any of his scores, but I loved both of his movies and I seem to remember that the music worked pretty well. Don't know if that's enough to warrant a firm reccommendation to you, though, as I woulnd't like to be to blame for something that you later hated.
He has also scored a film by another director, the one that gave him his first chance to direct a long feature. It was a replacement job, and it got at least a nomination in that years' awards, but I don't know whether it won or not. It was nice music, edging on the sentimental, for a film I did not really like, "La lengua de las mariposas", although it had very moving parts.
As for "The Others", it is news to me that he is even going to compose the score, and I am surprised that he's been allowed to do that, considering that he's a foreigner newcomer in Hollywood and all that, but then again that's very promising for the film if it's any indication that he's been allowed to work relatively in calm and do his thing.
Hope this helps, and doesn't bore because of extreme length. Sorry.
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If you can, you should check out Thesis, Amenabar's first film, a terrific thriller about snuff videos. Clever, disturbing and quite funny as well. A shame this one hasn't been released at all in the UK (it had one screening a few years ago at the NFT; I took a chance on a film I'd never heard of and I'm glad I did - it's better than Open Your Eyes).Sorry, I can't remember anything about the music for it at all. NP: GORKY PARK (James Horner, Tchaikovsky)
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I just wanted to add that Amenabar was actually born in Chile, my country  http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/smile.gif">, but he lived in Spain since he was a baby. So he have both nationalities. And yes, his work it's great.---
Felipe Vasquez
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Yeah, that's true, Felipe, sorry I forgot to mention it.
And as for the comparison between "Tesis" and "Abre los ojos", I must say that I was impressed by both upon first viewing, but I'd still put the second a bit ahead in quality. Anyway, the two of'em are great.
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I'd forgotten how impressive this score is.
I've seen the film twice (once at the cinema, then on telly) and I'm always in awe at it's class and style in an age of grubby horror films.
I know there's been some flack about how Amenabar 'writes' his scores, with some saying he's nothing but a glorified hummer, but I've heard all his scores and I do detect some unity in his style.
Mar Adentro is particularly heart-felt and gorgeous in many moments.
The Others is also a real classy affair, almost a forerunner to The Orphanage by Velazquez.
Some spooky horror scoring is off-set by a sad, lonely air of despair and longing.
It lends the film a fantastic sheen of style and substance, aiding things immeasurably.
Goldsmith is a BIG influence to this score. Not rips or steals, just the basic architecture of the music calls to mind things like ILLUSTRATED MAN, THE OMEN and COMA, especially during the sombre type music.
If you're missing quality, stylish horror scores of old, seek this one out.
Also, give it more than one go. It really does get better with repeat plays.
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