DEON COLE: COLE HEARTED Stream on Netflix. This Chicago-based comic is known for his writing on Conan O’Brien’s late-night shows, as a recurring character on “black-ish” and “grown-ish” and as one of the faces of Old Spice body wash. But in his first Netflix comedy special, he returns to his stand-up roots, trying out new jokes and making honest observations about relationships, music and the preservation of comedy.

UPGRADE (2018) Stream on HBO platforms; Purchase on Amazon, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube. Thanks to Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, pop culture seems to have a renewed fascination with the potential danger digital assistants pose to humanity. But in this film, starring Logan Marshall-Green, that idea becomes the basis for a “Terminator”-like action flick. When Grey (Marshall-Green) wakes up paralyzed in the hospital after an accident that also killed his wife, he receives an implant that helps him regain the use of his limbs — and can take control of his body. This new technology proves highly useful in Grey’s pursuit of those responsible for his wife’s death. Given that the film was written and directed by Leigh Whannell (“Saw”), definitely expect some gore.