Dinaciclib in Treating Patients With Stage IV Melanoma

Inclusion Criteria: * Biopsy-confirmed malignant melanoma * Stage IV disease * Cutaneous or mucosal origin * Melanoma of unknown primary allowed * No ocular melanoma * Measurable or non-measurable disease * No prior or concurrent brain metastases as confirmed by CT scan or MRI * Zubrod performance status 0-1 * ANC ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL * Serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (including patients with hepatic metastases) * SGOT or SGPT ≤ 2.5 times ULN (≤ 5 times ULN in the presence of hepatic metastases) * Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN * Not pregnant or nursing * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No other prior malignancy except for adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, in situ cervical cancer, adequately treated stage I or II cancer from which the patient is currently in complete remission, or any other cancer from which the patient has been disease-free for 5 years * No prior therapy with a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor * At least 14 days since prior radiotherapy * At least 28 days since prior systemic chemotherapy * At least 28 days since prior adjuvant systemic therapy * At least 28 days since prior surgery * No more than 1 prior systemic therapy regimen (chemotherapy, biologic/immunotherapy, hormonal therapy, or a combination regimen) for stage IV melanoma and any side effects must have resolved to ≤ grade 1 * Any number of prior adjuvant systemic therapy regimens allowed, including interferon alfa-2b, GM-CSF, chemotherapy, and chemobiotherapy * Therapy for stage IV resected free-of-disease will be considered adjuvant therapy * Prior radiotherapy allowed provided any side effects have resolved to ≤ grade 1 * Prior surgery (for both the primary and stage IV disease) allowed provided side effects have resolved to ≤ grade 1 * No other concurrent or planned non-study treatment (including chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biologic therapy, or radiotherapy) * No concurrent CYP3A4 inhibitors or inducers * No concurrent grapefruit or grapefruit juice