Page 307 of Cobuild English Usage reads
You use very much in front of adjuncts, not 'very': She does things very much her own way.
Sometimes it's used in front of noun groups to emphasize someone or something has all the qualities you would expect a particular kind to have.
He was very much a seaman.
Isn't very much modifying the verbs in these examples instead?
Secondly, would both uses be grammatical without very, using only much ?